A new race of wheat yellow rust, designated 'Champion' by the Global Rust Reference Centre in Denmark, overcame the widely planted Yr15 resistance gene across northern and central Europe in 2025-2026; nearly 50% of England's national wheat area carries Yr15, and similar foci were confirmed in France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, prompting AHDB to release emergency revised resistance ratings
Washington State University forecasts 40-60% yield losses on susceptible varieties in eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho as the disease is found across the region at unusually early dates