Beating the Wheat Yellows Quiz Quiz

Explore key aspects of wheat crop health, focusing on 'yellows' and related challenges impacting wheat yields in agriculture. Test your understanding of wheat diseases, management practices, and crop monitoring.

1. Recognizing Wheat Yellows

   A wheat farmer notices yellowing stripes following the leaf veins on her crop after some spring rains. Which disease is most likely responsible?

   1. Powdery mildew
   2. Stripe rust
   3. Barley yellow dwarf
   4. Spot blotch

   Explanation: Stripe rust causes yellow stripes aligned with the leaf veins, especially after rainy periods. Barley yellow dwarf also produces yellowing but typically with more diffused symptoms, not stripes. Powdery mildew appears as whitish spores, not yellowing. Spot blotch presents as brown spots, not stripes.

2. Impact of Environmental Conditions

   Which environmental factor most often encourages outbreaks of wheat yellow rust (stripe rust)?

   1. Hot, dry weather
   2. Acidic soil
   3. High sunlight exposure
   4. Cool, wet weather

   Explanation: Cool, wet weather creates ideal conditions for stripe rust spores to germinate and infect leaves. Hot, dry weather suppresses the disease. Acidic soil may affect general crop health but is not a direct trigger, and high sunlight does not favor rust development.

3. Management Practice Choice

   If yellow rust appears in a wheat field early in the season, which management action is most appropriate?

   1. Switch to minimum tillage
   2. Increase irrigation
   3. Apply a suitable fungicide
   4. Add more nitrogen fertilizer

   Explanation: Applying an approved fungicide is the standard response when yellow rust is detected early. Irrigation and extra nitrogen can worsen disease spread. Minimum tillage is a soil conservation practice and not directly related to yellow rust control.

4. Wheat Varieties and Disease Resistance

   Planting resistant wheat varieties can help prevent which problem related to crop yellowing?

   1. Soil erosion
   2. Weed competition
   3. Waterlogging
   4. Disease outbreaks

   Explanation: Growing resistant varieties is most effective against diseases, including those causing yellowing like yellow rust. Resistance does not mitigate risks from soil erosion, weed competition, or waterlogging.

5. Monitoring Wheat Crop Health

   Which method helps farmers detect early signs of wheat yellowing due to disease in large fields?

   1. Overseeding
   2. Field scouting
   3. Flood irrigation
   4. Late harvesting

   Explanation: Regular field scouting enables early identification of disease symptoms like yellowing. Overseeding, flood irrigation, and late harvesting do not enhance disease detection and may, in some cases, increase risk if not managed properly.