As part of an expanded USDA/ARS effort to manage root diseases of barley and wheat, a new University of Idaho supporting project in southern Idaho will focus on the root diseases primarily affecting "direct seeded" barley and wheat (i.e., crops grown under no-till or minimum-till conditions). Management systems will be sought that increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the cereal industry and that save and rebuild soils in the region. Root diseases, rather than complications from crop residues and nutrient deficiencies, often account for the poor performance of crops grown with minimum or no tillage. Research in the Pacific Northwest has shown that take-all (Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici), Rhizoctonia root rot (Rhizoctonia solani AG-8, R. oryzae, R. cerealis and possibly others), Pythium root rot (primarily Pythium ultimum and P. irregulare), and Fusarium foot rot (Fusarium culmorum, F. graminearum, and other species) limit the production and fertilizer-use efficiency of cereals grown without the benefit of long crop rotations. The objectives of this new research are: i) to identify barley and wheat lines that resist root diseases; ii) to reveal the diversity of root disease pathogens; and iii) to determine the cultural practices and cropping systems that most influence pathogen populations and diversity, and that most suppress disease development. Laboratory, greenhouse, and field studies are planned. Initial results are expected in 2002. The most applicable information will be communicated at grower meetings, in popular press and scientific journals and at http://www.uidaho.edu/ag/plantdisease/