Oct. i, 1920 Fusarium-Blight (Scab) of Wheat and Other Cereals 3 



kota, South Dakota, Montana, and Oregon. It was looked for but was 

 not found in the following States: Washington, California, Wyoming, 

 Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Rhode Island. 

 It has been reported from various parts of Canada. 



In Europe the disease has been found in England, France, Italy, Ger- 

 many, Austria, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Russia. In 

 Russia the disease is common throughout the wheat- and rye-growing 

 sections. In Asia it is very common in the Usurian provinces on the 

 Siberian Pacific coast. It has also been reported from Australia. 



ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE 



The Fusarium-blight of the cereal crops injures the plants in several 

 ways and is generally considered an important disease of these crops. 

 It lowers germination of the seed and causes dying off or weakening of 

 the young seedlings. Later it causes dying and wilting of fully grown 

 plants, and finally it blights the heads, wholly or in part, thus prevent- 

 ing them from filling. The severity of the headblighting varies 

 from a fraction of 1 per cent to 100 per cent, and the loss due to de- 

 crease in yield in individual fields and localities may vary from o to 

 over 50 per cent. 



The data concerning the economic importance of the disease are in- 

 complete and inadequate. For some phases of the disease, and for 

 most of the crops, they are entirely lacking. The meager information at 

 hand on this subject is found in the Plant Disease Bulletin issued by the 

 United States Department of Agriculture. 1 This covers only the losses 

 caused by blighting of the heads of wheat and is given for only a few of 

 those States where the disease is known to be present and common in 

 one form or another. No information is available concerning the 

 losses due to decrease in germination and the killing of seedlings and 

 grown plants. 



The total loss due to the blighting of the wheat heads by Gibberella 

 saubinetii and various other species of Fusarium for the States report- 

 ing amounted to 10,620,000 bushels in 191 7, according to the Plant 

 Disease Survey. The States reporting highest losses were Ohio with 

 3,577,000 bushels, Indiana with 2,513,000 bushels, and Illinois with 

 2,288,000 bushels. 



If the estimate of the Plant Disease Survey approximates the actual 

 loss due to the blighting of the wheat heads in the States reporting, 

 then the total annual loss for the United States is probably close to 

 20,000,000 bushels. 



No definite information is available concerning the importance of the 

 disease in Europe, especially in Russia, where it is known to be one of 

 the most important and destructive of the cereal diseases. 



1 U. S. Department op Agriculture. Bureau of Plant Industry. Plant Disease Survey. 

 Plant Disease Bulletin , Supplement 8, p. 21-27. May 1, 1920. 



