Symptoms occur on the head after flowering.
Individual spikelets or the entire head appear prematurely bleached. Superficial pink or orange fungal growth may be associated with the bleached areas. The fungi causing scab are in every wheat field every year, but favorable weather conditions are needed for severe disease. Florets become infected at flowering, and the fungus kills individual spikelets or the entire head. The bleached spikelets usually contain shriveled grain.