It has been reported that take-all was seen in wheat this week. Infected plants are stunted, produce bleached heads with no grain, and the plants are pulled easily from the soil. Infected plants will have a shiny, black coating on the stem at the ground line. Peel back the leaf sheath and check out the lower stem. Roots will be rotted and few.
Symptoms appear as stunted irregular spots in the field.
Rotation out of small grains for several years is the best control. Corn, soybean, and vegetables are good rotation crops. It is still not too late to check fields for the soybean cyst nematode . Soil sample bags are available from the county Extension offices. Turn around time should be just a few days of receiving the samples.