14 Robert S. Kirby 



Data based only on the percentage of plants escaping take-all infection 

 are apparently worthless, since under favorable conditions nearly all 

 plants become infected before reaching maturity. The varieties that 

 yield the highest are invariably those in which the largest percentage of 

 the infected plants are able to develop to normal size. In the varieties 

 previously mentioned it will be noted that the harder wheats are the more 

 susceptible and that there is seemingly no difference in susceptibility 

 between red and white wheats. 



THE DISEASE 



NAMES 



The name take-all has been generally applied in Australia, England, and 

 other English-speaking countries to the disease under consideration. 

 In the early stages it is called yellow-leaf disease and take-all. In later 

 stages it is called white heads, wit-roest, stand dead disease, white wilt, 

 habit, wilt, and smoky. In Europe somewhat similar diseases are fre- 

 quently referred to as foot rot, black foot, black stem, stalk disease, foot 

 disease, root disease, black leg, straw blight, pietin, and pietin du ble, but 

 these are not to be confused with take-all. 



HISTORY AND RANGE 



Early references to root diseases of cereals are of little value, since it is 

 impossible to determine whether take-all or a similar disease is meant. 

 The take-all organism was first described by Berkeley and Broome (1861) 

 from specimens found at Batheaston, England, on Aira caespitosa. Sac- 

 cardo (1875) recorded the fungus from Italy on Agropyron sp. and Cynodon 

 sp. In 1878 he reported it from France on wheat. It was again found 

 in England in 1884 (Anonymous, 1913), and was next reported from 

 France by Prillieux and Delacroix (1890). In 1901 it was recorded 

 from Japan by Hori (1901), who stated that the disease had been present 

 there since 1890 or 1891. McAlpine (1904) reported the disease as wide- 

 spread in Australia at that time, and stated that it had been known 

 there since 1852. Lindau (1908) records the presence of the disease in 

 Germany and Holland. Dombrovski (1909) states that take-all occurs 

 in Russia and Denmark, and Mangin (1914) records Belgium and Portugal 

 as having take-all-infected cereals. The disease is reported by Waters 

 (1920, a and b) as having been present in New Zealand for many years. 

 It has been reported also from the Union of South Africa (Anonymous, 

 1922 a), where it was first found in 1904. In December, 1923, Dr. W. 

 P. Fraser informed the writer that take-all had been found during the 

 previous summer in a field of Marquis wheat in Saskatchewan, Canada. 



Take-all was first reported from the United States in 1920 (Kirby and 

 Thomas, 1920). In August of the next year, Humphrey, Johnson, and 



