Barley Virus

University of Idaho plant disease specialists are warning farmers that winter wheat and barley crops across southern Idaho are showing a disturbing echo of last summer’s abnormal wet spell.

 

Barley yellow dwarf virus, a major disease threat to wheat and barley, is rampant and an early spring that put wheat and barley crops three to four weeks ahead of average across southern Idaho helped highlight the problem. The first symptoms of the viral disease began showing up in fields in early March. I talked with administrator of the Idaho Barley Commission, Kelly Olson: “this disease is not new to Idaho winter cereal crops but it can ebb and flow and is highly dependent on environmental conditions, particularly back in the fall after winter cereal crops are planted and emerged if there is heavy aphid activity. This virus is vectored by aphids. What we know is that conditions were open and warm last fall after excessive moisture. A lot of winter cereals got planted, stands came up well with that reservoir of soil moisture and we saw a lot of aphid flight activity.

 

Facing a dry year and advanced growing season leaves growers facing very tough agronomic and financial decisions.