Touring through our cereals this time of year, we may run into black growths in place of a kernel. These ugly plumes are ergot bodies, or sclerotia: a plant disease caused by the Claviceps purpurea fungus. With growing years like this one, with a beautiful mixture of heat and moisture, our crops are thriving, but so are our diseases. The moisture promotes plant growth and flowering, as well as the germination of sclerotia.
Disease Cycle: How does this work?
The first stage is germination of the sclerotia, which requires a cold period followed by wet soils in the spring. The sclerotia produce small, mushroom-like structures called stromata, which produce wind-borne spores. The wind-borne spores, also called ascospores, land on the florets and enter the ovaries of the early flowering plants.
The second stage is the “honeydew stage.” Here, the florets secrete a sticky ooze of spores called conidia, which are spread by rain and insects. They will continue to spread as long as flowering lasts. The honeydew stage ends once the ovary, or kernel, enlarged and is replaced by the ergot body.
What’s So Bad About It?
Although it doesn’t result in a significant yield loss, Ergot can result in economic loss. This is due to it being a major degrading factor in wheat and barley. In wheat and rye, only 0.04% is allowed in Number 1 grade, and even feed wheat has a low allowance of 0.10%. In barley, the tolerance is lower yet, at 0% for malt and 0.05% for feed.
Ergot thresholds are this low, as the alkaloids in the ergot can cause ergotism when consumed by humans or livestock. In humans, ergotism can result in alternating burning and freezing sensations, death of extremities, and could even lead to death. In livestock, it can cause lameness, loss of body parts, abortions, seizures, and death. Sub-lethal doses will result in lower growth and performance, loss of milk production, and lack of appetite – all of which are recoverable.
How Can It Be Prevented?
Due to the economic losses ergot can cause, we want to do what we can to prevent this fungus. Ergot doesn’t have much for control methods in the field, however, there are management practices that can help. Your first line of defense against ergot is a crop rotation. The ergot only lives in the soil for one year, so a minimum of a two-year rotation is essential. Other things to keep in mind during seeding are avoiding planting a spring cereal next to a winter cereal crop, and ensuring a uniform plant stand by using seed with good germination, seeding at a constant depth, and using a balanced fertilizer program. Finally, use clean seed! Even two-year-old seed clean of ergot is less likely to spread the disease. Beyond seeding time, risk of ergot can be reduced by sanitizing by mowing around headlands and roadways to remove grasses and other possible hosts, and applying herbicide at the correct rate and timing.
If ergot is inevitable, one should harvest heavily infected areas separate from the rest of the field and deliver the infected seed separately to the elevator or destroy it. One can also clean the seed of ergot using a flotation gravity table, or a colour sorter. If you are concerned about ergot in your field, contact your SynergyAG representative to go over your risk levels. We are here to harness the synergy of your crop production and the environment for your agronomic success!
Karly Rumpel AAg
Canada Grain Commission. Ergot. 2019. https://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/en/grain-quality/grain-grading/grading-factors/grading-factors-wheat/ergot.html
Government of Saskatchewan. Ergot of Cereals and Grasses. ND. https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-and-industry/agribusiness-farmers-and-ranchers/crops-and-irrigation/disease/ergot-of-cereals-and-grasses
Tunapochunguza nafaka zetu wakati huu wa mwaka, huenda tukakutana na vichaka vyeusi badala ya mbegu. Mimea hiyo yenye rangi nyangavu huitwa sclerotia, na ni ugonjwa unaosababishwa na kuvu aina ya Claviceps purpurea. Kwa miaka ya kukua kama hii, na mchanganyiko mzuri wa joto na unyevu, mazao yetu yanafanikiwa, lakini ndivyo ilivyo na magonjwa yetu. Unyevu huo huchochea ukuzi na maua ya mimea, na pia kuota kwa sclerotia. Mzunguko wa Ugonjwa: Utaratibu wa Ugonjwa Hatua ya kwanza ni kuota kwa sclerotia, ambayo inahitaji kipindi cha baridi ikifuatiwa na udongo wenye unyevunyevu katika majira ya kuchipua. Sclerotia hutokeza miundo midogo inayofanana na uyoga inayoitwa stromata, ambayo hutokeza spora zinazopelekwa na upepo. Spora hizo, ambazo huenezwa na upepo, huanguka kwenye maua na kuingia kwenye ovari za mimea ya mapema inayotoa maua. Hatua ya pili ni hatua ya <unk>honeydew.<unk> Hapa, maua hutokeza madoa ya spora yanayoitwa conidia, ambayo huenea kwa sababu ya mvua na wadudu. Zitaendelea kuenea kwa muda mrefu kama maua yatadumu. Hatua ya umajimaji wa asali huisha wakati ovari, au kiini, kinapopanuka na kubadilishwa na mwili wa ergot. Ni Nini Kinachokuwa Kibaya Kuhusu Hilo? Ingawa haina kusababisha hasara kubwa ya mavuno, Ergot inaweza kusababisha hasara ya kiuchumi. Hii ni kwa sababu ni sababu kuu ya kuharibu ngano na shayiri. Kwa ngano na shayiri, 0.04% tu inaruhusiwa katika daraja la Nambari 1, na hata ngano ya kulisha ina ruzuku ya chini ya 0.10%. Katika shayiri, uvumilivu ni chini zaidi, kwa 0% kwa malt na 0.05% kwa chakula. Kiwango cha ergot ni cha chini sana, kwa kuwa alkaloids katika ergot inaweza kusababisha ergotism wakati hutumiwa na wanadamu au mifugo. Katika wanadamu, ergotism inaweza kusababisha hisia za kuchoma na kuzima, kifo cha viungo, na inaweza hata kusababisha kifo. Katika mifugo, inaweza kusababisha kukosa nguvu, kupoteza sehemu za mwili, utoaji-mimba, mshtuko wa akili, na kifo. Kiasi kidogo cha dawa hiyo kitakuwa na kupunguza ukuzi na utendaji, kupoteza uzalishaji wa maziwa, na kukosa hamu ya kula - mambo yote hayo yanaweza kurekebishwa. Inaweza Kuzuiliwaje? Kwa sababu ya hasara za kiuchumi ambazo ergot inaweza kusababisha, tunataka kufanya kile tunachoweza kuzuia kuvu hili. Ergot haina mengi kwa ajili ya mbinu za udhibiti katika uwanja, hata hivyo, kuna mazoea ya usimamizi ambayo yanaweza kusaidia. Njia ya kwanza ya kujikinga na mimea hiyo ni kuzunguka-zunguka. Mti huo huishi katika udongo kwa mwaka mmoja tu, kwa hiyo ni muhimu kuzunguka kwa angalau miaka miwili. Vitu vingine vya kuzingatia wakati wa kupanda ni kuepuka kupanda nafaka ya majira ya kuchipua karibu na mazao ya nafaka ya majira ya baridi, na kuhakikisha mimea sawa kwa kutumia mbegu na kuota vizuri, kupanda kwa kina cha mara kwa mara, na kutumia programu ya mbolea. Mwishowe, tumia mbegu safi! Hata mbegu za miaka miwili zisizo na ergot hazina uwezekano mkubwa wa kueneza ugonjwa huo. Zaidi ya wakati wa kupanda, hatari ya ergot inaweza kupunguzwa kwa kusafisha kwa kukata karibu na nyuso na barabara ili kuondoa nyasi na majeshi mengine yanayowezekana, na kutumia dawa ya kuua magugu kwa kiwango sahihi na wakati. Ikiwa ergot ni ya lazima, mtu anapaswa kuvuna maeneo yaliyoambukizwa sana tofauti na sehemu nyingine za shamba na kupeleka mbegu zilizoambukizwa kando kwenye lifti au kuiharibu. Mtu pia anaweza kusafisha mbegu ya ergot kwa kutumia meza ya mvuto wa kuelea, au mpangilio wa rangi. Ikiwa una wasiwasi juu ya ergot katika uwanja wako, wasiliana na mwakilishi wako wa SynergyAG ili uende juu ya viwango vyako vya hatari. Tuko hapa kutumia ushirikiano wa uzalishaji wako wa mazao na mazingira kwa mafanikio yako ya kilimo! Karly Rumpel AAg Canada Grain Tume. Mti wa ergot. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika ukurasa wa ""Kuchunguza"" wa ""Kuchunguza"" na ""Kuchunguza"" katika ukurasa wa ""Kuchunguza"" na ""Kuchunguza"" katika ukurasa wa ""Kuchunguza"" na ""Kuchunguza"" katika ukurasa wa ""Kuchunguza"" na ""Kuchunguza"" katika ukurasa wa ""Kuchunguza"" katika ukurasa wa ""Kuchunguza"" katika ukurasa wa ""Kuchunguza"" wa ""Kuchunguza"" katika ukurasa wa ""Kuchunguza.""" Ergot ya nafaka na nyasi. ND. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya ""Kazi ya Kilimo na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji"" ya ""Kulima na Ufugaji."""