Guide to Common Foliar Diseases of Cereal Crops in Montana
Dr. Mary Burrows, Extension Plant Pathology Specialist, Montana State University
Contents
- Tan spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) of wheat
- Septoria leaf spot (Septoria tritici and Stagnospora nodorum) of wheat and barley
- Physiological leaf spot (abiotic disorder) of wheat and barley
- Bacterial leaf blight and black chaff (Xanthomonas translucens pv. translucens and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria) of wheat and barley
- Net blotch and spot blotch (Pyrenophora teres) and spot blotch (Bipolaris sorokiniana) of barley
- Scald (Rhynchosporium secalis) of barley
- Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) of wheat and barley
- Leaf rust of wheat (Puccinia triticina) and barley (Puccinia hordei)
- Stem rust of wheat and barley (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici)
- Acknowledgments
Tan spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) of wheat
![Tan spot photo of a leaf that is showing signs of Tan spot](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar1.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Small, yellow spots on the leaves when the fungus first infects the leaf which expand into an eye shape, sometimes with a brown (necrotic) pupil and a yellow halo, if there is enough moisture
- Yellow halo much broader than seen with Septoria
- Straw will have tiny black, raised structures (pseudothecia)
- Seed can have red smudge
- Risk Factors
- Continuous wheat production
- No-till with wheat residue
- Irrigation
- Infection requires 6-24 hours of moisture and moderate temperatures (68-82°F)
- Management
- Crop rotation
- Residue reduction
- Use of best-yielding variety in your region
- Protect flag leaf area with fungicides
Septoria leaf spot (Septoria tritici and Stagnospora nodorum) of wheat and barley
![Septoria leaf spot photo of a leaf that is showing signs of Septoria leaf spot](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar2.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Small, yellow spots on the leaves when the fungus first infects the leaf, which expand into tan to brown and irregular to lens-shaped lesions with little to no yellow halo
- If very moist small black specks (pycnidia) will be formed in the lesion
- Risk Factors
- Continuous cereal production
- No-till with cereal residue
- Irrigation
- Infection requires 6-24 hours of moisture and moderate temperatures (68-82°F)
- Management
- Crop rotation
- Residue reduction
- Use of best-yielding variety in your region
- Protect flag leaf area with fungicides
Physiological leaf spot (abiotic disorder) of wheat and barley
![physiological leaf spot photo of a leaves that are showing signs of physiological leaf spot](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar3.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Can be confused with tan spot and Septoria leaf spot but symptoms are uniform on leaf and symptoms on all leaves, not just lower leaves
- Edges of lesions are distinct, not diffuse
- Risk Factors
- High pH soil
- Variety susceptibility
- Management
- Variety selection
- Soil pH modification with potash is limited in effectiveness
Bacterial leaf blight and black chaff (Xanthomonas translucens pv. translucens and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria) of wheat and barley
![bacterial leaf blight photo of a leaf that is showing signs of bacterial leaf blight](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar4.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Small, water-soaked spots on leaves which elongate into linear streaks that become necrotic tan or brown
- Often the tips of the leaves become shredded
- Leaves feel ‘shellaced’ or slick; when very wet bacteria ooze from leaves or glumes
- Risk Factors
- Saving seed from a crop infested with bacterial blight or black chaff
- Management
- Variety selection
- Use clean seed
Net blotch and spot blotch (Pyrenophora teres) and spot blotch (Bipolaris sorokiniana) of barley
![net blotch photo of leaf that is showing signs of net blotch](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar5.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Small, round to oblong brown spots or netlike necrosis
- Net blotch can occur in a spot form
- Risk Factors
- Continuous barley
- No-till with barley residue
- Irrigation
- Management
- Crop rotation
- Variety selection
- Irrigation management to reduction of humidity in the canopy
- Light tillage to reduce residue
- Fungicide application
Scald (Rhynchosporium secalis) of barley
![Scald photo of a leaves that are showing signs of scald](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar6.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Very distinct dark brown ring around a tan center
- Risk Factors
- Continuous barley
- No-till with barley residue
- Irrigation
- Management
- Crop rotation
- Variety selection
- Irrigation management to reduction of humidity in the canopy
- Light tillage to reduce residue
- Fungicide application
Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) of wheat and barley
![Stripe rust photo of a leaf that is showing signs of stripe rust](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar7.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Yellow pustules occurring in stripes
- Different subspecies infect wheat and barley
- Spores are wind-dispersed
- Overwinters on wheat and other grasses
- Risk Factors
- Overwintering stripe rust
- Incidence of stripe rust in other wheat-growing regions in North America
- Management
- Variety selection
- Fungicides
Leaf rust of wheat (Puccinia triticina) and barley (Puccinia hordei)
![Leaf rust photo of a leaf that is showing signs of leaf rust](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar8.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Small, red-orange spore masses (pustules) on leaves
- Spores rub off on your finger
- Older pustules or those on resistant varieties will appear black
- Spores are wind-dispersed
- Risk Factors
- Incidence of leaf rust in other cereal-growing regions in North America (particularly south and east of Montana)
- Wind conditions and time of infection
- Infection is favored by 6-8 hours of dew and temperatures from 60 to 80°F
- Management
- Variety selection
- Fungicides
Stem rust of wheat and barley (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici)
![Stem rust photo of barley that is showing signs of stem rust](/extension/plantpath/images/resources/id_guides/20090701_guide-foliar/foliar9.jpg)
- Symptoms
- Small, red-brown spore masses (pustules) with frayed edges on stems and leaves
- Spores rub off on your finger
- Older pustules or those on resistant varieties will appear black
- Spores are wind-dispersed
- Risk Factors
- Incidence of stem rust in other cereal-growing regions in North America (particularly south and east of Montana)
- Wind conditions and time of infection
- Infection is favored warm day temperatures from 77 to 86°F and cool night temperatures 59 to 68°F and dew
- Barberry is the alternate host
- Management
- Variety selection
- Fungicides
Acknowledgments
Photos courtesy of the MSU Pathology Department slide collection; Rick Engel, Land Resources & Environmental Sciences, MSU; North Dakota State University.
Original July 2009 PDF (2.4MB)