We are fast approaching the time when you can rate leaf spots in your cereals. Ideally plants should be rated within a week or so before the crop starts to senesce, especially the flag leaf in wheat and the penultimate leaf (second leaf from the head) in barley. Once the crop starts to turn, rating becomes very difficult.
One may think that in-crop scouting for plant diseases is finished for 2024. However, late season crop scouting is critical for assessing the prevalence, severity and impact of these disease issues.
Where unsprayed check strips or areas have been left in the field, late season assessments can be used to assess the impact and benefit of spraying in relation to leaf disease management and crop productivity.
Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network, Cereal Leaf Spot Assessment Protocols, Summer 2024
Stay tuned for more assessment protocols for other crops and diseases!
