Daniel Kasa Bekele Hundia Worku Dembel
Stem rust, yellow rust and septoria leaf blotch are the most damaging diseases of wheat in Ethiopia that causing significant losses on yield and quality in years with favorable environmental conditions and inoculums potential. Currently, regular monitoring and assessment during Belg and Meher mean season is crucial to manage rusts before causing huge loss. Surveys of wheat disease was accomplished with the objective of identifing the distribution and intensity of wheat disease and understand the rusts inoculums risk level from Belg to Meher (main) season. The survey was made following the main roads and accessible routes in each districts stops were made every 5-10 km interval on vehicle odometer as per Belg wheat field available. Five stop were made in each wheat field by moving X fashion at each stop interval using quadrants and data were collected from each. The results of the present studies indicated that a total of 94 wheat fields were examined for the presence of wheat diseases in Arsi and Bale zone in Belg season 2014. Twenty-nine wheat fields were inspected in Arsi zone, of which 41.4% and 6.9% were infected with yellow rust and septoria leaf bloch respectively, similarly, from 65 field assessed in Bale zone septoria leaf blotch, leaf rust, stem rust and yellow rust diseases was distributed over 36 (55.4%), 28 (43.1%), 20 (30.8%) and 3 (4.6%) farmers’ fields respectively. Septoria leaf blotch and leaf rust could be the two important potential diseases constrain to major rain fed belg wheat production in South-eastern parts of Ethiopia.
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