Barberry Bush Survey - Digital Images, Data, and Maps

Black stem rust (BSR) is a fungus which migrates from barberry plants to cereal crops including wheat, oats, rye, and barley. A BSR epidemic in 1916 made it clear that further action was necessary in order to prevent devastating crop loss. In 1918, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began a barberry eradication program with the cooperation of thirteen north-central states, including South Dakota. The program provided funding for surveys which identified and removed BSR-susceptible barberry plants. Funding for the program ended in 1980. This series contains the survey forms (L-Forms) associated with South Dakota barberry surveys from 1918 through 1984. Each form describes the area surveyed, the number of barberry plants found, whether stem rust was present, and whether the plants were dug out or chemically treated. Forms are grouped by county. In 2014, these forms were scanned, the information compiled into a database, data analyzed, and maps created as part of a project between the USDA and Washington State University.