Quantification of Yield Losses Caused by Barley yellow dwarf virus in Wheat and Oats

Grain yield data obtained from five field experiments in Western Australia from 1992 to 1994, in which insecticide applications suppressed the spread of Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) in wheat and oats, were used to quantify the relationships between incidence of BYDV and yield gaps, 500-seed weight, and percent shriveled grain. Yield gaps ranged from 0 to 2,700 kg/ha, and the relationship between yield gap and incidence of BYDV was always linear. Single point yield loss models revealed that BYDV infection explained most of the variation in yield gaps. There was a significant linear relationship between incidence of BYDV and 500-seed weight for wheat, but not for oats. The percent shriveled grain always increased with an increase in incidence of BYDV in wheat but not in oats. Cost-benefit relationships were determined for the return on investment when deploying imidacloprid-treated seed and/or one or two foliar applications of pyrethroid insecticides to reduce incidence of BYDV and to decrease the yield gaps in wheat and oats due to BYDV.