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THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



Flag Smut of Wheat (Urocykis tritici Koern.) 



Flag Smut is a disease at times responsible for serious losses in our wheat 

 crops. It may sometimes seriously affect the yield — reducing it from 10 

 to 15 per cent. Reduction of" the yield by 50 per cent, and even more has 

 been occasionally recorded. 



It is a disease that is difficult to detect in the early stages, but as growth 

 advances it is noticeable that affected plants in the crop have a leaden or 

 sometimes faintly bmish colour in the leaves or flag, instead of the normal 

 greenish colour. As the crop heads out it is observable that these plants fail 



Fig. 8. — Wheat plant curled at the top by Flag Smut, thus preventing the formation of an ear. 

 (From McAlpine's " Smuts of Australia.") 



