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Blue Dwarf Virus, Crinkle | |
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| | Biology | Damage description | Diagnosis | Management Strategy
Biology
This disease is known as blue dwarf virus in barley and oats, and crinkle in flax. The virus can only be transmitted by the six-spotted leafhopper (Macrosteles fascifrons), which does not usually overwinter in Canada. Each year infective leafhoppers must come in from the United States. Severe outbreaks occur following weather that brings favorable winds which move virus-infected leafhoppers into the prairie provinces early in the spring.
Damage Description
- Oats
Early spring infection results in severe stunting. Plants are dark blue-green with short rigid leaves that stand out at right angles. Heads are usually blasted and infected plants may produce new tillers.
- Barley
Symptoms are generally similar to oats except that barley plants do not produce new tillers.
- Flax
This disease is called crinkle in flax. It results in stunting and reduced tillering.
Diagnosis
Reduced tillering and blasted heads result in yield loss. Mild or suppressed symptoms on many hosts make field diagnosis difficult, therefore BDV may cause significantly more damage than previously recognized.
Management Strategy and Control
Blue dwarf is not usually of significant economic importance in the Prairie Provinces.
Early seeding of cereals and flax in spring allows for more crop growth before infection and consequently less damage.
Oat blue dwarf virus - a leafhopper spread virus that causes stunting of oats often in small circular patches in the field.
Text and captions courtesy of Dr. Ieuan R. Evans
Images courtesy of I. R. Evans and WCPD |
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Ron Howard.
This document is maintained by Shelley Barkley.
This information published to the web on November 8, 2001.
Last Reviewed/Revised on March 14, 2008.
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