Yellow rust is expected to affect China's wheat output around spring next year, after the disease spreads to key production areas across the eastern and northwest regions, a government-backed agriculture institute said on Tuesday.
The yellow rust was first detected in Gansu, Ningxia, and Shaanxi provinces in northwest China around October and November, affecting autumn seedlings across 3.1 million mu (510,685 acres) - covering an area three times larger than the previous year, the National Agricultural Technology Promotional Center said in a report.
The affected provinces witnessed a more severe outbreak this year compared with previous year. According to a forecast by China's Meteorological department, the temperature in the eastern and central wheat-producing regions is slightly higher compared with last year. This is conducive to breeding of yellow rust in winter, the report said.