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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #256600
Title: Wheat Streak Mosaic: A classic case of plant disease impact on soil water content and crop water-use efficiency

Author
item WORKNEH, FEKEDE - Texas Agrilife Research
item PRICE, JACOB - Texas Agrilife Research
item JONES, DAVID - Texas Agrilife Research
item RUSH, CHARLIE - Texas Agrilife Research

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/19/2009
Publication Date: 6/1/2010
Citation: Workneh, F., Price, J.A., Jones, D.C., Rush, C. 2010. Wheat Streak Mosaic: A classic case of plant disease impact on soil water content and crop water-use efficiency. Plant Disease. 94(6):771-774.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In this article, we describe the relationship between wheat streak mosaic (WSM) severity and soil water content as a prime example of the effect of a plant disease on soil water status and its implications for irrigated agriculture. The present study was part of a larger investigation which included modeling of wheat yield as a function of WSM severity, conducted in one irrigated field in 2006 and two fields (irrigated and non-irrigated) in 2007. In the 2006 field, four transects (720 m long) were established across the field, each containing 37 sampling locations at 20-m intervals. The 2007 field consisted of two transects each, having 60 sampling locations separated by 2.5-m intervals. At each location, the severity of wheat streak in a 1-m square area (five rows in width) was quantified with reflectance measurements (remote sensing) using a hyperspectral, hand-held radiometer at 555 nm at Feekes growth stage 7–8. Over 90% of the wheat leaf samples collected from locations along the transects tested positive for WSMV. Water-use efficiency declined exponentially with increasing WSM severity. These field studies clearly demonstrated that WSM indirectly affects water status of the soil by reducing crop water-use efficiency for grain yield and tissue dry weight.