​Managing Mite-Transmitted Viruses of Wheat in the Great Plains

December 2018 | 17 min., 48 sec.
by Stephen Wegulo
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Summary

​Wheat curl mite- (WCM-) transmitted virus diseases of wheat—most notably, wheat streak mosaic—have increased in recent years in incidence, severity, and prevalence in the Great Plains of the United States. Given the current trend of climate change, in which milder winters and warmer growing seasons are becoming frequent, yield losses in wheat from these diseases are likely to increase. This presentation will help wheat growers, crop consultants, extension personnel, and other practitioners to understand the epidemiology and management of WCM-transmitted virus diseases of wheat. Specifically, learners will gain information on disease symptoms in wheat, distribution of the viruses in the Great Plains, timing of infection and its effects on disease severity and yield, the disease cycle, yield losses caused by the viruses, and specific management strategies.

About the Presenter

Stephen WeguloStephen Wegulo is a professor of plant pathology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and has extension and research responsibilities for diseases of small grain crops. He received a BS degree in biology from Davidson College (North Carolina) in 1991 and MS and PhD degrees in plant pathology from Iowa State University (ISU) in 1994 and 1997, respectively. His expertise is in the areas of epidemiology, disease management, and screening cultivars for resistance to diseases and involves field, greenhouse, and laboratory work. Currently, Dr. Wegulo conducts research on diseases of wheat, and his extension activities include development and delivery of clientele-targeted educational programs and annual wheat disease surveys. In collaboration with colleagues at UNL and other universities, he currently focuses on the epidemiology and management of Fusarium head blight of wheat and wheat curl mite-transmitted virus diseases of wheat. Before joining UNL in 2005, Dr. Wegulo was an extension specialist at the University of California–Riverside (2002–2005) and had responsibilities for diseases of floriculture and nursery crops. Before that, he was an assistant scientist at ISU (1998–2002). He has authored or co-authored 62 refereed journal papers; five book chapters; more than 150 technical articles, abstracts, proceedings, and reports; and more than 300 extension publications (circulars, guides, newsletter articles, and digital media).​

Contact Information:
Email: swegulo2@unl.edu

​Webcast Sponsor

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​Grant Funding

​This webcast was supported by funds provided through the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA-NIFA grant number 2013-68004-20358.


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