Wheat leaf rust

Wheat leaf rust is like a bad cold that wheat plants can catch. Just as you sometimes get a cold from being around other sick people, wheat plants can catch leaf rust when they are near other plants with the disease.

The rust is caused by a tiny thing called a fungus. Fungus is like a little bug that likes to eat plants. Just as you might have a cold because a virus is making you sick, wheat plants get leaf rust because the fungus is eating away at their leaves.

When the fungus eats the leaves, it leaves behind tiny spots that are kind of like scabs. These spots can be a different color than the rest of the leaf, and sometimes they have little bumps on them. The wheat plant can't use the parts of its leaves that have been damaged by the fungus to make food and grow stronger, so it begins to weaken and may not grow as tall or produce as much wheat.

Farmers can try to keep the wheat plants healthy by spraying them with special sprays that kill the fungus before it can grow and cause leaf rust. They can also try to plant wheat that is resistant to leaf rust, which means the wheat plants are naturally stronger and less likely to get sick.