The funds will support the initiation of research and extension programming on critical wheat diseases including stripe rust and viruses vectored by the wheat curl mite, including Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus, Wheat Mosaic Virus and Triticum Mosaic Virus. The funding will support research to improve virus diagnostics, conduct deep sequencing to analyze virus populations collected in Colorado grower field samples, provide virus diagnostic services to growers, sequence complete genomes of 1-2 stripe rust isolates, and conduct disease assays to determine Colorado stripe rust environmental limitations. The funds will provide 50% FTE support for a research associate (Technician), supplies, sequencing, and greenhouse costs.

42nd year of a continuing program under the leadership of Dr. Robyn Roberts, Department of Agricultural Biology.