Yellow Dwarf Virus (YDV) affecting some Australian cereals

Agriculture Victoria announced there had been a spike in Yellow Dwarf Virus (YDV) this year, particularly in the Wimmera and Southern Mallee, while officials in other states are also closely monitoring the situation. The YDV belongs to a group of closely related virus species that infect cereals such as wheat, barley, oats, and grasses, with barley YDV the best known to farmers. These widespread viruses can cause yield losses of up to 80% when plants are infected early in the growing season. Symptoms can take around three weeks to appear after infection, however many infected grasses even do not show any symptoms. As a result, it means the disease can be wider spread than farmers have realized.