It's time to get your wheat tested for viruses! MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic will continue to offer free services in testing five wheat viruses for all Missourian clients similar to 2023. Viruses tested for include: Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), Wheat spindle streak mosaic virus (WSSMV), Soil-borne wheat mosaic virus (SBWMV), Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), and Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV). The service fee for this test is normally $65 per sample, but in partnership with the MU Extension Field Crop Pathology programs we will offer the service FOR FREE. With this service, we hope to collect information of both wheat variety and disease incidences in Missouri and help growers better prepare for controlling detected diseases the following season. In addition, the symptomatic plant samples will be used to develop innovative diagnostic methods for virus testing and identify new viruses such as High plain virus (HPV) and Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV).

When collecting samples in the field, please include address and wheat variety for each sample. When submitting a wheat sample for virus tests, it is important to follow the sample collection and submission guidelines to ensure sample quality.

For more information of sample submission, please visit MU-PDC website.