The cereal grain

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeolog ...

is subject to numerous wheat diseases, including bacterial, viral and fungal diseases, as well as parasitic infestations.

Principal diseases

* Barley yellow dwarf virus, BYDV * Brown rust '' Puccinia recondita'' *

Common bunt Common bunt, also known as hill bunt, Indian bunt European bunt, stinking smut or covered smut, is a disease of both spring and winter wheats. It is caused by two very closely related fungi, '' Tilletia tritici'' (syn. '' Tilletia caries'') and '' ...

(aka Covered smut) ''

Tilletia caries ''Tilletia caries'' (synonymous with ''Tilletia tritici'') is a basidiomycete that causes common bunt of wheat. The common names of this disease are stinking bunt of wheat and stinking smut of wheat. This pathogen infects wheat, rye, and various ...

'' *

Ergot Ergot ( ) or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus ''Claviceps''. The most prominent member of this group is '' Claviceps purpurea'' ("rye ergot fungus"). This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that ca ...

'' Claviceps purpurea'' * Eyespot ''

Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides ''Tapesia yallundae'' is the causal agent for a variety of cereal and forage grass diseases. The anamorph of ''T. yallundae'' is the W-type strain of ''Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides''. The R-type strain of ''Pseudocercosporella herpotr ...

'' * Glume blotch ''

Septoria nodorum ''Phaeosphaeria nodorum'' (syn. ''Stagonospora nodorum'', synonym and correct taxonomic name: ''Parastagonospora nodorum'') is a major fungal pathogen of wheat (''Triticum aestivum''), causing the disease Septoria nodorum blotch. It is a member o ...

'' *

septoria leaf blotch ''Zymoseptoria tritici'', synonyms ''Septoria tritici'', ''Mycosphaerella graminicola'', is a species of filamentous fungus, an ascomycete in the family ''Mycosphaerellaceae''. It is a wheat plant pathogen causing septoria leaf blotch that is d ...

'' Mycosphaerella graminicola'', synonyms: ''Septoria tritici'', ''Zymoseptoria tritici'' *

Mildew Mildew is a form of fungus. It is distinguished from its closely related counterpart, mould, largely by its colour: moulds appear in shades of black, blue, red, and green, whereas mildew is white. It appears as a thin, superficial growth consis ...

'' Erysiphe graminis'' *

Seedling blight A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embryo ...

Fusarium ''Fusarium'' is a large genus of filamentous fungi, part of a group often referred to as hyphomycetes, widely distributed in soil and associated with plants. Most species are harmless saprobes, and are relatively abundant members of the soil ...

'' spp., ''Septoria nodorum'' * Sharp eyespot '' Rhizoctonia cerealis'' * Spot blotch '' Biplolaris sorokiana'' * Take-all '' Gaeumannomyces graminis'' *

Tan spot ''Pyrenophora tritici-repentis'' (teleomorph) and ''Drechslera tritici-repentis'' (anamorph) is a necrotrophic plant pathogen of fungal origin, phylum Ascomycota. The pathogen causes a disease originally named yellow spot but now commonly called ...

'' Pyrenophora tritici-repentis'' *

Yellow rust Wheat yellow rust (''Puccinia striiformis'' f.sp. ''tritici''), also known as wheat stripe rust, is one of the three major wheat rust diseases, along with stem rust of wheat (''Puccinia graminis'' f.sp. tritici) and leaf rust (''Puccinia triti ...

'' Puccinia striiformis''

In Europe

Cereals are at risk from numerous diseases due to the level of intensification necessary for profitable production since the 1970s. More recently varietal diversification, good plant breeding and the availability of effective fungicides have played a prominent part in cereal disease control. Use of break crops and good rotations are also good cultural control measures. The demise of UK straw burning in the 1980s also increased the importance of good disease control. Active control measures include use of chemical seed treatments for seed-borne diseases and chemical spray applications for leaf and ear diseases. Development of resistance by diseases to established chemicals has been a problem during the previous 30 years.

In the USA

Wheat is subject to more diseases than other grains, and, in some seasons, especially in wet ones, heavier losses are sustained from those diseases than are in other cereal crops. Wheat may suffer from the attack of insects at the root; from blight, which primarily affects the leaf or

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a numbe ...

, and ultimately deprives the grain of sufficient nourishment; from mildew on the ear; and from gum of different shades, which lodges on the chaff or cups in which the grain is deposited.

Fungicides

Fungicides used on wheat, grouped by type, with examples of the active chemical ingredient: *

Benzimidazoles Benzimidazole is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound. This bicyclic compound may be viewed as fused rings of the aromatic compounds benzene and imidazole. It is a colorless solid. Preparation Benzimidazole is produced by condensation of ...

** benomyl **

carbendazim Carbendazim is a widely used, systemic, broad-spectrum benzimidazole fungicide and a metabolite of benomyl. It is also employed as a casting worm control agent in amenity turf situations such as golf greens, tennis courts etc. and in some countr ...

* Ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors ** prochloraz ** flutriafol ** tetraconazole *

Morpholine Morpholine is an organic chemical compound having the chemical formula O( C H2CH2)2 NH. This heterocycle features both amine and ether functional groups. Because of the amine, morpholine is a base; its conjugate acid is called morpholinium. F ...

s ** fenpropimorph * Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI) **Succinate-analogue inhibitors **Ubiquinone type inhibitors ***

boscalid Boscalid is a broad spectrum fungicide used in agriculture to protect crops from fungal diseases. It was first marketed by BASF in 2002 using their brand name Endura. The compound is an biphenyl amide derived inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenas ...

, a pyridine-carboxamide *** fluopyram, a pyrimide (pyridinyl ethylbenzamide) ***

fluxapyroxad Fluxapyroxad is a broad-spectrum pyrazole-carboxamide fungicide used on a large variety of commercial crops. It stunts fungus growth by inhibiting the succinate dehydrogenase (SQR) enzyme. Application of fluxapyroxad helps prevent many wilts and ...

, a pyrazole-carboxamide *** oxycarboxin, oxathiin-carboxamide * Strobylurines ** kresoxim-methyl * Phthalonitriles **

chlorothalonil Chlorothalonil (2,4,5,6-tetrachloroisophthalonitrile) is an organic compound mainly used as a broad spectrum, nonsystemic fungicide, with other uses as a wood protectant, pesticide, acaricide, and to control mold, mildew, bacteria, algae. Chlo ...

References

External links

Excellent color guide from CIMMYT
USDA Cereal Disease Laboratory
Many information resources
Identifying and Managing Wheat Rusts, Kansas State UniversityCropMonitor - UK Resource for in-season wheat disease control
Excellent tool for agronomists and growers * * {{Wheat

Diseases A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that ...