When should cereal crops be checked for leaf diseases?
Cereal leaf diseases should be evaluated in late June and early July when the crop is about to go into the flag leaf stage or is in the flag leaf stage. Although protecting the crop at this stage is critical and any fungicide applications must be made prior to heading, field observations anytime after emergence can provide valuable information for making management decisions. Early season symptoms may indicate seedborne disease and the potential need for seed-treatments or stubble-borne infection and problems with current crop rotation practices.
