Stripe rust is one of the most serious threats to winter wheat production in Oregon. If conditions are right, the fungal disease can spread rapidly and wipe out entire fields, causing millions of dollars in crop losses. In a state where wheat is the sixth-most valuable commodity, stripe rust poses a significant economic risk to both growers and the broader agricultural economy.
By combining cutting-edge research with responsive local outreach, OSU Extension continues to support wheat growers in navigating evolving disease threats — protecting both crop yields and farm profitability.
While plant breeders continually work to develop wheat varieties with resistance to stripe rust, the pathogen evolves quickly — often overcoming new genetic defenses. As a result, growers frequently rely on fungicides to protect their crops. That need is growing more urgent as climate change increases weather variability, allowing different races of the fungus to survive the winter and spread earlier and more aggressively in the season.
Controlling stripe rust is costly. A single fungicide application ranges from $4 to $35 per acre, depending on the product. That figure does not include the cost of labor, fuel or equipment maintenance. Under some conditions, applications must be repeated every three weeks to remain effective. The most commonly used fungicide, propiconazole, costs about $4 per acre and can be effective — but only with precise timing and repetition.
To help growers make informed, cost-effective decisions, Oregon State University Extension Service faculty and researchers in Umatilla and Morrow counties are combining field research with real-time outreach.
In Umatilla County, Christina Hagerty, OSU dryland cereal pathologist and associate professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences, evaluates the effectiveness of new fungicides through annual field trials at the OSU Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center. Working with faculty research assistant Grayson Namdar, Hagerty applies fungicides in a checkerboard pattern to susceptible wheat varieties and conducts weekly visual inspections. After harvest, the team collects data on yield, protein content and test weight — providing local growers with science-based guidance on which fungicides are most effective and affordable under current conditions.
Each year, Hagerty publishes the results in the American Phytopathological Society Plant Disease Management Reports, offering growers a trusted source of independent performance data on emerging products.
In Morrow County, Larry Lutcher, OSU Extension crops specialist and professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences, covers hundreds of acres each season scouting for early signs of stripe rust. When he identifies infection, he communicates directly with farmers — who in turn spread the word quickly among their neighbors. This grassroots alert system allows growers to prepare and implement targeted spray plans before the disease spreads widely.
Lutcher’s treatment recommendations helped guide fungicide use on approximately 65,000 acres of wheat, with an estimated net savings of $2.3 million for growers in the region.
By combining cutting-edge research with responsive local outreach, OSU Extension continues to support wheat growers in navigating evolving disease threats — protecting both crop yields and farm profitability.
