In Ohio, the take-all disease is best known as a root and crown rot. It generally occurs sporadically in wheat fields planted continuously to wheat or in fields infested with perennial grass weeds. The damage to wheat is related to the extent of root and basal stem colonization by a soil-borne fungus.
Wheat plants can withstand mild infections with only minimal yield loss.
Mild infections do not result in obvious symptoms of the disease. However, when symptoms become obvious, yield losses can be as high as 80 percent in Ohio. Symptoms Figure 1. Occasionally, dead plants can be found scattered throughout the stand. The roots of diseased plants are rotted and break when plants are pulled from the soil.