Crop residue remaining on the surface after winter wheat is seeded under no-till or minimum tillage also reduces strawbreaker foot rot levels. Two reasons are proposed for the reduction in foot rot with reduced tillage and no-till. First, higher surface residue levels would reduce the amount of raindrop splash of inoculum from the soil to the plant compared to residue free conventional tillage. Second, higher levels of microbial activity near the soil surface associated with residue decomposition may compete with the foot rot fungus and inhibit its activity. Regardless of the reason, maintaining higher surface residue levels with no-till and reduced tillage planting can be an additional management tool for strawbreaker foot rot.
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