Abstract:
The production and productivity of wheat is threatened by yellow rust which is the most economically important disease in wheat production areas. The survey was conducted at yellow rust prone areas of East Gojjam Adminstrative Zone of Goncha Siso Enesie and Hullet Eju Enesie districts to assess the prevalence, incidence and severity of yellow rust disease.In each districts four kebele administrationsand in each kebeles five, a total of 40 wheat farm fields were assessed using data recording sheet.Thecollected survey data was analyzed by using SPSS software (SPSS, 2007). Rain feed field experiment was conducted at Enesie Qole kebele in Goncha Siso Enesie district in 2019 main cropping season todevelope integrated yellow rust management based on optimal frequency of fungicide application and bread wheat varieties. Treatments combinations were Tilt 250EC at four levels (0, 1, 2 and 3) and three wheat varieties (Tay, Picaflor and Kubsa), known for their different reaction to the disease. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with 3 replication.The disease data and yield and yield related data were subjected to analysis of variance using the general linear model procedure of SAS 9.2.Of the 40 bread wheat fields inspected, 67.5% fields were infected by the yellow rust disease. Relatively high mean incidence, severity and prevalence of the yellow rust disease was observed at Goncha Siso Enesie district which were 42.35, 21.61, and 70 % respectively and 27.65 % incidence,10.4% severityand 55 % prevalence was recorded at Hullet Eju Enesie district. Significant (p ≤0.01) difference was observed in the magnitude of the parameters of disease and yield and yield related components. Terminal yellow rust severity levels up to 18.2%, 23.0% and 44.0% were recorded on unsprayed varieties of Tay, Picaflor and Kubsa, respectively. Three times application of Tilt 250 EC at 10 days interval gave highest PDC up to 59.24%, 52.91% and 71.91% on Tay, Picaflor and Kubsa, respectively. Three times application frequency of Tilt 250EC resulted a significant ( p < 0.01) grain yield and thousand kernels weighet increment up to 40.96 % and 27.72 % on Tay, 48.2% , and 55.2% on picaflor and 53.56% and 121.5 % on Kubsa variety, respectively. The current results showed fungicide application frequencies and plant host resistance may play in effectively managing Yellow rust of bread wheat. However; further research is needed for the sustainable and cost effective management of disease under different agro-ecological settings.
Key words: Bread Wheat, Fungicide, Grain Yield, Incidence, Severity, Thousand Kernels Weight, Yellow Rust,