The New Castle County plot is located 1 mile east of Rt. 896 on Marl Pit Road, in Kent County across from the Honda dealership on Rt. 13 south of Dover, and in Sussex County between the farm complex and the administration offices at the Research and Education Center. Field Crop Diseases - Bob Mulrooney, Extension Plant Pathologist . Early season diseases that may be present now are powdery mildew, Ascochyta leafspot, barley yellow dwarf virus, and soil borne wheat mosaic virus.
Powdery mildew is very easy to diagnose.
Look for white to tan masses of fungal growth on the leaves. It is generally to early to take any action at this time, but monitor disease development. Ascochyta leafspot often appears at green up and resembles Septoria leafspot. Symptoms include large gray brown spots on the lower leaves that tend to be oval shaped. It will also produce small black to brown pin head sized fungal structures in the dead leaf tissue.