Diseases

Ergot of Triticale

x Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus

A highly susceptible disease of triticale caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea, in which dark purple sclerotia form in the ear instead of grain.

In the reference 6 varieties crop Triticale, where this is mentioned in the description.

Triticale is considered a crop highly susceptible to ergot infection. Infection occurs during the flowering period when the pathogen's ascospores land on the stigmas of the pistils. A typical symptom is the secretion of a sweet, sticky liquid known as 'honeydew,' which contains conidia, while at the grain maturity stage, sclerotia (ergot bodies) develop in place of the ovary, protruding from the glumes.

A single infected triticale ear can form from 1 to 5 sclerotia, which are usually longer than a normal grain. The crop's resistance to the disease is associated not with the presence of specific 'gene-for-gene' resistance genes, but with the morphobiological characteristics of the genotype, such as a shortened flowering period, cleistogamous flowering type, or synchronous tiller development.

General information about the subject — on the page Ergot.

Sources8

Varieties of Triticale mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.