A Detailed Guide to Common Wheat Diseases and Their Control Methods

Wheat is a staple food we cannot do without. Once turned into flour, it has countless uses: it can be made into steamed buns, bread, and more, and fermented wheat can also be used to brew alcohol. Wheat is rich in nutritional value and also has certain medicinal and dietary therapeutic benefits, so do not underestimate it. Wheat is generally grown more in northern regions, and if not cared for properly it is very prone to pests and diseases. Below, let us take a look at the common diseases of wheat and an introduction to their control methods.

1. Wheat scab

Wheat scab occurs frequently in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huang-Huai region. Normally, the foundation of the wheat must be kept strong, and the control techniques for the heading and flowering stages of wheat must be mastered. Generally, treatment should begin once flower buds appear, striving to achieve proactive prevention and control of the prevalent disease.

If it is a highly susceptible variety, pay constant attention to the weather forecast. During the flowering stage, if there is continuous rainy weather lasting two days, then treatment should be applied in advance. The choice of pesticide should be based on the growth condition of the wheat and used rationally, and the dosage must not be exceeded. Commonly used options include phenamacril, prochloraz, thiophanate-methyl, tebuconazole, trifloxystrobin · tebuconazole, thiram, copper imidazole · epoxiconazole, Bacillus subtilis, and others.

2. Wheat sheath blight and powdery mildew

This disease often occurs from the greening stage to the jointing stage of wheat. If the incidence rate of sheath blight reaches 10 percent, then appropriate pesticides should be selected for treatment. Commonly used pesticides include tebuconazole, thifluzamide, propiconazole, validamycin, diniconazole, polyoxin, Jinggang · waxberry bacteria, Trichoderma, and others.

For powdery mildew, the pesticides selected include triadimefon, myclobutanil, diniconazole, propiconazole, tebuconazole, epoxiconazole, prochloraz, kresoxim-methyl, and others. For fields with severe disease, a supplementary spray is needed after an interval of half a month, and each spraying must be uniform to achieve a comprehensive control effect.

3. Wheat stripe rust

It is one of the common diseases of wheat, also called jaundice disease. It is a disease with a high transmission rate, fast spread, and very serious harm, and its occurrence is also relatively common. To prevent this disease, the main measures are professional seed dressing with pesticides, selecting varieties with strong disease resistance, and, under diversified planting conditions, strengthening monitoring of various environments to achieve timely prevention, so as to avoid the disease spreading too fast and becoming difficult to prevent.

Commonly used control pesticides include triadimefon, tebuconazole, diniconazole, epoxiconazole, hexaconazole, flutriafol, propiconazole, pyraclostrobin, kresoxim-methyl, pyrimidine nucleoside antibiotics, and others.

4. Wheat aphids

Aphids are a pest that causes great harm to wheat. They often appear on the leaves and wheat ears, and once discovered, if not controlled in time, they will spread very quickly. Therefore, when the number of diseased plants infested by aphids reaches five hundred, key control measures should be taken. Commonly used pesticides include pymetrozine, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, beta-cyhalothrin, pirimicarb, matrine, bifenthrin · clothianidin, Entomophthora, and others.