Stripe rust continues to be reported in southern and central Alberta. Eric Amundsen at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge surveyed winter wheat fields for stripe rust last week and reported finding the disease in five of 12 fields (two in Cardston County, one field in each of Lethbridge County, County of Warner and M.D. of Taber). Stripe rust was also reported in Mountain View county by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development researchers, Drs. Kequan Xi and Krishan Kumar.
It appears that the stripe rust fungus may have overwintered in both southern and central Alberta because all reports are on lower leaves and no striping yet on new leaves. Additionally, Eric Amundsen reported the ability to recover viable stripe rust spores from winter wheat in southern Alberta on March 30, 2015.
Two of the five positive fields in southern Alberta had symptoms on more than one plant per square meter indicating that scouting for stripe rust in winter wheat should remain a priority.
