Durums are not showing leaf rust, but many crops have Septoria infections on the flag leaves. A few fields in Wells and in Logan counties were observed to have glume blotch symptoms on the head. Wet weather can splash the Septoria fungus to the grain heads and result in infection of the glumes. Glume blotch is characterized by a dark discoloration from the glume tip downward, often with a greyish center, and the fruiting bodies of the fungus may be evident in the discolored area on the glumes. A few fields have had severe infection, but generally leaf spot infections have not been severe in most of the state.
Black chaff is a bacterial infection of the glumes.
Symptoms consist of dark lines or patches on the glumes plus dark spots on the awns and possible the stem below the head. Sometimes the bacterial exudate is visible on the awns and appears shiny. This bacterial disease also can infect the leaves and cause bacterial leaf blight. When black chaff infection occurs late in the season under dryland conditions, damage to the grain usually is minimal. However, symptoms can be striking and cause alarm.