Ireland: Yellow dwarf barley virus threatens Irish barley and wheat crops

Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) is the most widespread viral disease in cereals. It attacks barley, oats, wheat, corn, triticale and rice. The sown area of winter crops sown this fall is significantly higher than in 2020. This is especially true for barley and oilseed rapeseed. Early sowing dates and a long period of warm weather caused an increase in the number of aphids. For this reason, there was a risk of the appearance of BYDV, according to the website Agriland.ie. According to entomologist Dr.Lawes McNamara, aphid vectors live on crops. The BYDV virus can lead to losses of up to 80% of their crops. “Studies have confirmed that losses of winter oats and wheat can be 2 tons per hectare. With regard to winter barley, this figure may rise to 5 tons per hectare, - explained Lowes McNamara. - Moreover, all regions of Ireland are susceptible to infection with the virus to varying degrees. This allegation arose from litigation in Carlow and Cork counties during 2016 and 2019. ” The ...