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Causal organism - Puccinia striiformis
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In the UK, disease resistance
has been a very successful means of control. Severe epidemics
of yellow rust were a frequent occurrence on winter wheat in the mid 1980's
and late 1990's because of a combination of very susceptible
popular varieties and weather conducive to yellow rust epidemics. New races
of yellow rust can appear and develop very rapidly if conditions are suitable
and varietal resistance ratings can plummet as a result. When new races of
yellow rust appear the disease may attack varieties which were previously
regarded as highly resistant.
Chemical control of yellow rust is rarely needed except on very susceptible varieties, grown in high risk areas. In such situations seed treatment with triazole-based seed treatments is advisable. This prevents autumn infection and can give long lasting control into the spring. Normally fungicides would not be necessary until the disease appears in the early spring. Many broad-spectrum azole fungicides applied for the control of other diseases have good activity against yellow rust.
