Stripe rust infections in 2024 are showing up early in the season in southwestern Ontario, according to Joanna Follings, OMAFRA cereals specialist. She likens this to 2016, when the milder winter conditions resulted in early leaf and stripe rust infections in Tennessee and Kentucky. This led to rust spores being blown into Ontario earlier than we typically see. By mid-May 2016, stripe rust was prevalent in most areas of southwestern Ontario. Growers who selected tolerant varieties or applied a foliar fungicide were able to keep the disease at bay. However, growers that selected susceptible varieties and did not apply a foliar fungicide saw significant yield reductions where the disease was present. In 2017, stripe rust again arrived early in southwestern Ontario and was found in one field in Essex County the first week of May.
In 2024, stripe rust was reported in Essex (Maidstone), Chatham-Kent (Tilbury) and Elgin (St. Thomas) counties on May 16. As of May 20, stripe rust has been identified in fields across southern Ontario; so, growers should continue to scout and monitor their fields closely. |READ MORE
