Proper crop rotations can boost wheat yields in western North Dakota by an average of 40 percent by controlling root diseases, research at the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center shows. Producers who grow wheat in continuous rotations of wheat, barley and durum lose about 40 percent of their grain yield to root pathogens, according to Roger Ashley, NDSU Extension Service agronomist at the center. Annual forage producers stand to lose up to a ton per acre in production. Also contributing to potential root loss are management practices implemented by the producer and growing season conditions, Ashley confirms. Data collected during the past four growing seasons in western North Dakota show root disease often is difficult to diagnose.
Symptoms develop gradually so the field appears normal.
It's only when unfavorable weather for crop growth occurs that the damage from these pathogens becomes readily apparent. In his demonstrations, Ashley used a soil fumigant to control soilborne pathogens in small areas within producers' fields. Fumigation is not an economical means of controlling root disease for wheat producers, but it is a good research and demonstration tool that can be used to discover the effectiveness of crop rotations for controlling root disease. Ashley applied the fumigant under tarp- covered plots for 48 hours and allowed it to penetrate the soil and control many of the harmful root pathogens. The cooperating producer then farmed through the plot area with normal farming procedures.