Diagnosing barley stripe
A very rare fungal disease that is most often found in irrigated barley.
What to look for
- Yellow stripes on the base of leaves that extend, turn dark brown, and eventually die.
- Dying leaves tend to split and fray along the stripes leading to a shredded appearance.
- Symptoms occur on the second or third leaf of seedlings then each subsequent leaf.
- Infected plants are stunted and heads often fail to emerge or emerge twisted and brown.
Plant
What else could it be
| Condition | Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosing yellow dwarf virus | Linear yellow lines on leaves | Leaves on barley yellow dwarf virus affected plants don't split and it occurs in patches on all soil types |
Where did it come from?
Contaminated seed
- Barley stripe is a seed-borne disease that initially infects seedlings.
- Once established it grows systematically throughout the plant.
- Initially it is spread by rain splash at temperatures below 10°C. However once established in heads, air-borne spores travel to other plants spreading the infection. This requires long periods of high humidity and temperatures of 10-33 °C.
Management strategies
Clean seed
Seed treatment
Resistant varieties
- Use clean seed from uninfected crops.
- Some chemical seed treatments provide good control.
- Avoid known susceptible varieties if problems occur.
Where to go for expert help
Page last updated: Wednesday, 15 April 2015 - 4:08pm