The scouts reported that many of the wheat fields they visited last week had reached anthesis. They continue to find low levels of tan spot, wheat stem maggot, cereal aphids, and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV). The scouts also reported some incidences of Bacterial Leaf Streak (BLS) for the first time this year. I expect the latter to worsen over the next week as the high winds that accompany the scattered thunderstorms provide the means for the disease to spread rapidly. Likewise, the risk of FHB is forecasted to increase in the southwestern and northwestern portions over the next days. As a consequence of the hit-and-miss nature of these rain events, both the NDAWN disease forecasting and the national risk model might be overestimating the risk for some of your fields if last week's rains kept missing your fields and fields are much drier (and therefor less likely to accumalate the needed leaf wetness duration periods) than estimated by the tools when the tools extrapolate the data from the data collection points to your fields in the coming days.

For oats and barley that will be reaching Feekes 10.5 (or fully headed), use a fungicide labeled for the suppression of FHB. Likewise, apply a fungicide labeled for the suppression of FHB in wheat when the crop reaches Feekes 10.51 (or beginning of anthesis). Choose one of the premium fungicide products when your variety has an FHB rating of susceptible to very susceptible (>6 or higher).

This will likely be the last issue of this season's small grains disease and pest update unless things dramatically take a turn for the worse. Have a bountiful and safe harvest!

--Jochum Wiersma, Small Grains Specialist, University of Minnesota