The albino phenomenon seems to be linked to temperature and to the planting date for winter grains, which are put in in the fall and harvested the following summer. We failed to reach any conclusion but did seem to exclude some ideas that had been kicked around. In 1989, samples were sent to researchers in several disciplines at several universities. It appeared that it was not linked a herbicide, to a virus or any disease, to the Russian wheat aphid or to specific seed lots or specific wheat varieties. People have speculated that cold temperatures and a late fall planting date may trigger a mutant albino gene in some grain plants.
Chlorophyll gives green plant leaves their color.
But the OSU researcher isn't sure nailing down the answer would be worth the effort. It attracts a lot of attention during the early spring in eastern Oregon and Washington some years, but it doesn't appear to be damaging the crop.