EPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
UNITED STATES D 
Illinois, Kansas, Norih Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and 
Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Stations 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1347 
Washington, D. C. Vv November, 1925 
FOOT-ROT DISEASES OF WHEAT IN AMERICA 
By Hagorp H. McKinney, Pathologist, Office of Cereal Investigations, Bureau 
of Plant Industry 
CONTENTS 
Page | Page 
Introdn ction hes = Se ae ees 1 | An unidentified foot-rot found in the 
Use of the term “ foot-rot’’________ 2 PACitiG COASt States= ==. ae 28 
Take-all, the foot-rot caused by Ophi- Other foot-rots______ pay ES: 30 
GHOMISTS RAMS eee 3 | Other fungi capable of causing foot- 
The foot-rot caused by Helmintho- OES ne eee 2 ey to Boe eae ee ee SS 33 
Spomum sativum =. eee in| PDI SCUSSTO NEES 3 eile ee ay as eee 34 
itera tunercitedss] S22 222 we se 37 
INTRODUCTION 
Tt is the purpose in this bulletin to bring together in a general 
way the more important information now in hand concerning the 
foot-rot diseases of wheat as they occur in this country and to dis- 
cuss the status of these diseases as set forth in the foreign litera- 
ture in so far as it may throw light on our own problems. Although 
further study is required before these diseases are fully understood, 
it has been possible during the past five years to obtain data and 
make observations which assist considerably in the matter of clari- 
fying some of the problems involved in the general problem of 
wheat foot-rots. 
A study of the literature indicates that the foot-rot diseases of 
wheat are practically world-wide with the wheat crop. They are 
reported from continental Europe, Australia, England, the Orient, 
South America, Africa, and the United States. As far as known, 
Cordley (14)? was the first to report a definite foot-rot in this 
country. In 1902 he reported one of these diseases on wheat in 
Oregon, but he did not determine the species of fungus associated 
with it. This report attracted little or no attention from plant 
pathologists, and it was not until the discovery of wheat rosette 
(32, 44) in 1919 (then thought to be the take-all disease) that gen- 
eral attention was directed to the importance of the foot-rot_dis- 
eases. Since that time several of the European wheat foot-rots have 
been found to occur in this country, and as a result increasing in- 
terest is being shown in this group of diseases and also in the simi- 
1The writer wishes to acknowledge the helpful suggestions given by J. J. Davis and 
E. M. Gilbert, of the University of Wisconsin, and by C. L. Shear, of the U. S. Department 
of Agriculture, in connection with the mycological phases of this bulletin. 
2'The serial numbers (italic) in parentheses refer to ‘“ Literature cited,’ at the end of 
this bulletin, 
44918°-—25—_—-1 
