Wheat (Triticum) is the primary food grain crop in the Republic of Kazakhstan. In cultivating this crop, local grain producers face many challenges, including unfavorable soil and climatic conditions, as well as a complex of harmful organisms that threaten crop yields, leading to losses and reduced quality.

Phytophagous insects and plant disease pathogens are constant components of agroecosystems. When their populations are high, they significantly reduce the yield and quality of crops. Globally, more than 25% of potential food crop harvests are lost each year due to pests and plant diseases. For example, during years of mass pest outbreaks, the yield of spring wheat can decrease by up to 23.2%; during epiphytotics, losses from diseases may reach 40.0-60.0%. The quality of spring wheat seeds also suffers in the absence of proper phytosanitary control.

To prevent yield losses in wheat caused by harmful organisms, it is essential to continuously update information on the dynamics of phytosanitary conditions in agrobiocenoses. This information forms the basis for planning and organising protective measures. In particular, it is important to have sufficient data on the species composition of insects in wheat agrocenoses, their migrations between biotopes, and interactions with each other and plants.

To assess the phytosanitary status of spring wheat crops, studies were conducted in Northeast Kazakhstan, one of the country’s main spring wheat producing regions.

This study guide describes the pests and diseases of spring wheat under the conditions specific to Northeast Kazakhstan. It provides brief information on the morphology, distribution, biology, and harmfulness of both specific and polyphagous pests, along with descriptions of the most dangerous spring wheat diseases.

When describing the diseases of spring wheat and their pathogens, the appearance of phytophages, their morphological characteristics, biology, and harmful effects, the authors relied on both personal observations and widely recognised studies on the respective groups of pests. The guide is also supplemented with reliable graphic and reference materials.

The study guide was prepared within the framework of the project IRN AP22784689 "Development of an integrated system for remote monitoring of spring wheat agrocenoses based on spectral imaging technology for the creation of precision agriculture"