I'm back from the farmer's wheat field and I must say I'm a bit baffled. What I saw definitely looks like powdery mildew, but as I mentioned in my previous email, local farmers use wheat that is genetically resistant to powdery mildew.

Because wheat is such an important crop, I'm always concerned when I see something out of the ordinary. I need you to figure out what is going on. Specifically, you need to identify the type of powdery mildew, so that we can give the local farmers guidance on how to handle the outbreak.

I've attached slides of the powdery mildew from the farmer's wheat field. They are microscopic pictures of the fungi, including their spores that will help us narrow down what type of powdery mildew we have. I've also attached a template we use to help us identify samples. The template should help you organize your work during the identification process.

Besides identifying the type of powdery mildew you think we have here, you'll need to justify your findings. Once you've done this, please let me know. I'll review your work and then decide how best to proceed.

Good Luck,

Colleen Peterson, PhD
Executive Director
Lawrence County Farming Agency