At least one to two works prior to planting winter wheat in the fall, volunteer wheat should be destroyed in any fields to be planted and in adjacent fields. Complete control is essential. Since the mite and virus survive only on green tissue, they will die out during this period. The same applies to spring wheat if any volunteer wheat remains in the spring. Along with volunteer control, nearby crops should also be considered.
Corn is an efficient host of both the mite and virus.
Winter wheat should not be planted next to corn that has not yet matured. If such planting is done, it should be as late as possible. In the case of spring wheat, growers wheat fields which may have the disease present. Later planting of winter wheat helps avoid mosaic infection. Not only is the time period between harvest of current season crop and emergence of new winter wheat extended, but mite populations will be decreasing late in the season.