Wet fields combined with the warmer-than-usual temperatures continue to favor disease for the spring wheat growing in the Red River Valley. University of Minnesota Extension Agronomist Jochum Wiersma is concerned about late Fusarium head blight popping up and bacterial leaf streak may also have an impact on the crop. “My gut feeling is we’ll see more yield losses and a greater effect on the spring wheat test weight. That’s under duress anyway, because of the high night-time temperatures,” said Wiersma. “It’s still a difficult disease to quantify yield losses year-over-year, but earlier onset generally has a greater effect on both yield and test weight.” Wiersma also anticipates a muddy harvest if the rains don’t stop soon.
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