A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
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Date: Tue 3 Mar 2009
Source: The Tribune (India) [edited]
<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090304/main8.htm>

Yellow rust hits crops

An airborne disease from across the border [with Pakistan] has hit the standing wheat crop badly in all 15 border villages in this district [Jammu]. Yellow rust disease, as the agricultural scientists call it, has damaged the entire wheat and mustard crops on over 6000 acres [2428 ha]. Farmers have suffered huge losses. The government has not assured them of any help so far.

This disease has rendered the plant yellow. The growth of the crop has stopped. Even cobs developing in home gardens have been rendered useless. Only yellow powder falls when the cobs are inspected.
"Yellow rust first hit the crops across the border. It is an airborne fungus disease and fungicide could be used to check the disease, though only in initial stages," said RR Jaat, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

"All pesticides have proved ineffective as the effect of the disease is growing by the day. Now, the plants are drying and even cattle are not eating the crop," revealed Saudagar Singh of Dugh Channi village.
His wheat crop on 45 acres [18.2 ha] has been completely damaged. The farmers have given up all hope. Santokh Singh of Chamyal village, whose crop has been damaged, said "Village elders have told us that such a thing has happened for the 1st time in our village."

Ashwani Kaul, sub-divisional agriculture officer, said as per reports reaching his office the situation was grim. "We have tried our best to help the farmers. We are in touch with the scientists also."

[Byline: Jupinderjit Singh, Ashutosh Sharma]

--
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ProMED-mail
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[Stripe rust (also called yellow rust) of cereal crops is caused by the fungus _Puccinia striiformis_ var. _striiformis_. It causes yellow leaf stripes, stunting of plants, and reduces grain production with yield losses of 40 to 100 percent. It affects wheat, some barley varieties, triticale, and a number of grass species. Spores are wind dispersed in several cycles during the cropping season. Grasses and volunteer wheat may generate a "green bridge" providing inoculum for the next cropping season. New pathogen strains with increased virulence have been reported in recent years from wheat growing areas in Europe, North America, and Australia. Disease management includes the use of resistant varieties, fungicide applications, and control of volunteer wheat.

However, the cereal stripe rust fungus does not affect mustard (_Brassica_ species), as is suggested in the item above, and the damage on this crop must be due to a different pathogen. There are a number of fungal pathogens affecting mustard, including white rust caused by _Albugo candida_, and it is possible that this may be causing the problem reported here. This fungus can affect most species of the brassica family including cabbages and oilseed rape.
Symptoms on mustard include white blisters on lower and faint yellow spots on upper leaf surfaces (which may have led to confusion with the yellow rust on wheat crops in this region of India). During flowering, deformities of the inflorescence develop ('stagheads') as a result of systemic infection. Disease management includes cultural and phytosanitary practices as well as fungicides.

For more information on both pathogens see links and previous posts below.

Maps
India:
<http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/images/IndiaMap_tourism.gif>
and
<http://healthmap.org/promed/en?g=1269320&v=33,77,5>
Jammu and Kashmir districts:
<http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/jammuandkashmir/jammuandkashmir-district.htm>

Pictures
Stripe rust leaf symptoms on wheat:
<http://utextension.tennessee.edu/fieldCrops/wheat/Wheat_photos/Wheat_StripeRust.jpg>
and
<http://www.grdc.com.au/uploads/images/Stripe%20rust%20Colin%20Wellings%20ACRCP.JPG>
Stripe rust on wheat head:
<http://cril.cimmyt.org/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=950&g2_serialNumber=2>
_A. candida_ white rust leaf symptoms:
<http://plantpathology.tamu.edu/Texlab/Vegetables/Images/mustard2.jpeg>
(turnip) and
<http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/ikmp/images/white_rust_pustules.jpg>
(mustard) White rust 'staghead' symptom:
<http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/ikmp/images/white_rust_staghead.jpg>

Links
Information on wheat stripe rust:
<http://pnw-ag.wsu.edu/smallgrains/Stripe%20Rust.html>,
<http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=9918&pf=1&cg_id=0>,
<http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/158964/stripe-rust-in-wheat.pdf>,
and
<http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Wheat/Wheat%20Stripe%20Rust.asp>
_P. striiformis_ taxonomy:
<http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=427989>
List of mustard diseases and pathogens:
<http://www.apsnet.org/online/common/names/mustard.asp>
White rust of mustard and turnip:
<http://plantpathology.tamu.edu/Texlab/Vegetables/mustard.html>  and <http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/IKMP/FCP/CO/PW/BULLETIN4406A.HTM#staghead>
Mustard cultivation and disease information:
<http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/mustard.html> and <http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/alt-ag/mustard.htm>
_A. candida_ taxonomy:
<http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/SynSpecies.asp?RecordID=122113>
Genus _Brassica_ species list including common names:
<http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/taxonomy.asp?tax=4191956>. - Mod.DHA]

[see also in the archive:
Stripe rust, wheat - China 20090208.0579
2008
----
Vegetable diseases - UK 20081225.4066
Ringspot & white blister, brassicas - UK: (England): alert 20080923.2997 Stripe rust, wheat - Australia (02): (VIC) 20080916.2897 Stripe rust, wheat - Australia: (QLD, NSW), alert 20080716.2156 Wheat stripe rust, oilseed rape sclerotinia - China 20080408.1297 White blister, brassicas - Australia: new strain, (QLD) 20080218.0661 Stripe rust, wheat - Denmark: new strains 20080211.0542
2007
----
Stripe rust, wheat - Australia (SA): new strain 20070921.3135 Foliar diseases, brassica crops - UK 20070913.3037 Stripe rust, wheat & wheat streak mosaic - Australia (SA, WA) 20070830.2860 Fungal diseases, wheat & pulses - Australia (SA) 20070821.2729 Ergot & stripe rust, cereals - USA (MT) 20070706.2144 Stripe rust, wheat - USA, Australia 20070614.1950 Wheat stripe rust, wheat - China 20070413.1230
2005
----
Stripe rust, wheat - Australia 20051031.3173 Wheat stripe rust - USA (FL) 20050601.1521 and older items in the archives]