Common root rot is a serious disease of wheat, barley, and oats. Infected plants tend to produce fewer tillers with smaller and fewer seeds per head. This disease is caused by a complex of soil-borne fungi. The spores germinate in the soil.
Seedlings become infected following germination.
Spores are produced on diseased tissue and are spread by wind, water, cultivation, and infected seeds. Further infections continue throughout the growing season with new spores being produced on plant parts as they mature. Patchy emergence is usually the first indication that damage has occurred. Infections start on the roots and sub-crown internodes and move to the leaves. Seedlings may die before or soon after emergence even though they only show slight damage.