Latest Survey Data
- Rust Issues: Yellow rust is the primary constraint, but other rusts are also potential threats. Serious outbreaks occured in 2010, but were successfully controlled. Aggressive races with Yr27+ virulence were implicated.
- Ug99 Status: Race TTKSK (Ug99) was first detected in 2007. Ug99 was re-confirmed in 2009, 2010 & 2011 but only at trace levels.
Situation Updates:
Wheat rust surveys were undertaken by staff from the Iranian Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII) during May 2011. Coverage of most of the major wheat growing areas in Iran was achieved, with a total of 36 sites surveyed using standard BGRI survey methodology. Yellow rust predominated, being recorded at 29 of the sites visited. The disease was widely distributed, being recorded in most of the survey areas. However severity levels were generally low, only 2 sites recorded high severity (>40%) of disease.
Leaf rust was recorded at 10 of the site visited, the distribution covered most of the areas but the severity was low (<20%) at all sites.
Stem rust was only recorded at 4 sites and all had low severity (<20%) of disease. The distribution matched that of the previous year, with reports coming from the Caspian Sea area and the west.
Photo Credit: J. Kamali
Extensive wheat rust surveys were undertaken by staff from the Iranian Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII) during the period April to July 2010. Coverage of most of the major wheat growing areas in Iran was achieved, with a total of 185 sites surveyed using standard BGRI survey methodology. Yellow rust predominated, being recorded at 48 of the sites visited. The disease was widely distributed, being recorded in most of the survey areas. High or moderate disease severity (>20%) was recorded at 27 sites where yellow rust was present.
Stem rust was recorded at 32 of the survey sites. Stem rust observations were concentrated in two major regions – the Western wheat growing areas and the Caspian Sea areas. High or moderate severity (>20%) of the disease was recorded at 11 sites.
Leaf rust was recorded at 16 of the sites visited, quite widely distributed but predominantly in the western areas. High or moderate diseases severity (>20%) was recorded at 8 of the sites with leaf rust.
Barberry species infected with aecia were recorded at four locations – all in the highland areas adjacent to the Caspian Sea. It is currently unknown which rust species are attacking Barberry in Iran, but scientific studies are now on-going to investigate the potential role of Barberry in the region.