9 BULLETIN 1347, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
lar diseases which Bolley (8, 9, 70) and his associates (4) pointed 
out some years ago in connection with the general deterioration of 
wheatlands in the spring-wheat region. 
USE OF THE TERM “ FOOT-ROT” 
From the foreign literature and from conferences with foreign 
workers who have visited America recently, it seems apparent that 
the term “ foot-rot,” or its foreign equivalents, as generally used on 
ihe Continent of Europe, applies to a set of more or less similar plant 
symptoms which appear to be caused by one or more fungous para- 
sites. A study of the literature indicates, however, that this term has 
been applied most frequently to the disease caused by Ophiobolus 
graminis Sacc. and to those said to be caused by O. herpotrichus 
(Fr.) Sacc., Leptosphaeria herpotrichoides De Not, and L. culmi- 
fraga (Fr.) Ces. and De not. The term “foot-rot” has been used 
by most foreign workers to designate a rotting or shriveling and 
blackening or browning of the roots and the basal portion of the 
culms and the crown of wheat plants which have advanced beyond 
the seedling stage. In fact, the foreign literature dealing with the 
foot-rots gives very little information concerning seedling injury. 
In the United States Cordley (74), Dana (75), and McKinney 
and Melchers (48) have followed the European practice of applying 
the term “ foot-rot” to diseased wheat plants which had advanced 
well toward maturity, and in all these cases the diseases dealt with 
resembled the foot-rot caused by Ophiobolus graminis and the foot- 
rots which have been described in connection with 0. herpotrichus 
and Leptosphaeria herpotrichoides. Atanasoff (7), working with 
the wheat malady caused by Gibberella saubineti, also appled the 
term “ foot-rot ” to that disease as it occurs on the base and roots 
of plants well advanced in development. Drechsler (79), in his 
studies of grass diseases caused by species of Helminthosporium, 
used the term “ foot-rot” in the same sense as Atanasoff. On the 
other hand, Stevens (66, 67), working with the wheat disease 
caused by Helminthosporium sativum,’ applied the name “ foot-rot ” 
to the diseased base and roots of young seedlings and to older wheat. 
plants as well. His usage of the term includes the diseased condi- 
tion which most workers, Atanasoff (7), Johnson (35), Johnson 
and Dickson (34), Dickson (18), McKinney (45), Stakman (65), 
Weniger (74), and others, have designated as seedling blight. His 
usage also confused Helminthosporium seedling blight with the 
rosette disease. 
In view of the number of parasites causing wheat foot-rots and 
owing to the similarity in many cases between symptoms of these 
diseases, it becomes rather difficult to develop a system of common 
names which will be entirely satisfactory from every standpoint; 
in fact, the lack of knowledge concerning these diseases makes it 
impracticable to attempt to work out a detailed system at the pres- 
ent time. As pointed out, previous workers have already started 
what seems to be a rational system, and it seems well to follow this 
in a general way to avoid unnecessary confusion in the literature. 
°The writer has examined cultures of this Helminthosporium which Doctor Stevens 
ey Beds and it is very evident that the organism is Helminthosporium sativum 
NE ert 
