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Wheat Scab in Harvested Grain
Scab, also known as head blight, head scab or pink mold, is a fungal disease which can attack spring and winter wheat as well as other small grains. It is generally most serious under wet or humid weather conditions, such as that experienced in recent years in some locations in ND.
The disease is most easily recognized in immature heads where one or more spikelets or the entire head appears prematurely ripened or bleached. Where the rachis is infected, all portions of the head above that point will be affected. Fungal mycelium and spore masses (pink or orange) may be seen on or at the base of infected spikelets, along with small, dark fruiting bodies (perithecia). Infected spikelets generally are sterile or contain shriveled and/or discolored kernels.
Where disease pressure is high, significant yield losses may result from the floret sterility and poor grain fill. Growers should consider increasing the air flow on their combines during harvest to eliminate as much of this light scab-infected grain as possible. Scabby grain can present particular problems in marketing, storage and utilization.
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