大麦黄矮病是当前世界上最重要和广为传播的大麦病毒病害。对其他禾谷类作物特别是燕麦和小麦来说,黄矮病也是一个主要问题,它能侵染100多种单子叶植物。自1951年 Osmdld 和 Houston 在加利福尼亚发现黄矮病以来,这种病害就已鉴别为一种病毒病害。据估计1951年因黄矮病危害加利福尼亚大麦生产损失10%,自那时起世界上种植大麦的其他所有地区,都已发现黄矮病的危害,在美国,加拿大和英国等地有关黄矮病严重流行也有报导。大麦黄矮病也是当前南美的主要问题。除加利福尼亚,密苏里和英国外,当前种植的绝大多数商用品种,都感 Barley yellow dwarf is the most important and widely spread bark disease in the world. Yellow dwarf is also a major problem for other cereals, especially oats and wheat, which can infect more than 100 monocotyledons. The disease has been identified as a viral disease since 1938 when Osmdld and Houston discovered yellow dwarf in California. It has been estimated that the loss of California’s barley due to yellow dwarf in 1951 resulted in a loss of 10% of the total production of barley in all other parts of the world since that time, and that yellow dwarf has been found to be harmful in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, Serious epidemics have also been reported. Barley yellow dwarf is also a major problem in South America. With the exception of California, Missouri and the United Kingdom, the vast majority of commercial varieties currently cultivated