However, the foliar phase, bacterial streak, has not yet become a serious problem. The main reason for this is to ward off the possibility of a producer applying a fungicide to control a bacterial problem, which will have no effect on the disease. These spots enlarge, coalesce, become glossy, and eventually olive green translucent streaks of various lengths that later turn yellow-brown. Streaks may extend the length of a leaf and are usually somewhat narrow, being limited by leaf veins. Spots may become large and blotchy, causing the leaf to shrivel, often dying from the tips back.
Infected areas tend to glisten in the sun, particularly under humid conditions.
These symptoms may be confused with leaf blotches caused by various fungal pathogens. Generally, however, symptoms caused by fungi can be separated from those associated with bacterial streak, based on the presence of spore-producing structures and spores in the fungal incited lesions. Beards of bearded varieties can also be affected. Grain is usually not destroyed, but it may be brown and shriveled. Yield effects are most pronounced when the bacteria invade the stem, usually just below the head and in upper joints.