The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1919-06-20
DANGEROUS WHEAT
DISEASES APPEAR
Take-all And Flag Smut
Warning Sent Out BY
I Department

tiers from headquarters which ask
him to be on the lookout for take-all
and flag smut in wheat. These are
new diseases which have lately been
discovered in the United States, al
though they have been damaging
wheat abroad for years. The agent
has never seen either of these dis
ases: but he is anxious to protect the
farmers in his district against both
of them.
He wishes to suggest that every
farmer in the county keep his eyes
wide open when he is inspecting
wheat fields or when he is harvesting
the crop. so that he may report any
thing which may arouse his suspi-
cions. Arrangements have been
made by the Extension Division of the
College of Agriculture cooperating
with Washington for an expert to Wis
ii the county on short notice.
The agent is giving here short
description of take-all for the bene-
lit oil the FARMERS.
THE symptoms of take-all vary in
different fields. In some fields dis
tinct patches of dwarfed, sickly or
dead plants occur. These patches
vary greatly in outlines and size, from
a few feet across to several acres in
extent. In other fields the entire
hot n
not evident Badly affected plants
are much dwarfed and remain in the
Tosette stage instead of shooting up
and forming heads. When such
plants are pulled, they often break
near the crown, leaving the roots in
the ground. An examination shows
that the crown and base of the stalks
are badly rotted.
THE leaves of plants affected with
take-all are usually of bluish-green
color in marked contrast with the
normally green leaves of healthy
plants. This difference in leaf color
is very characteristic and is helpful
in recognizing the disease. Affected
plants, in an attempt to recover, often
send up new shoots which are weak
and slender and remain short. In
Europe and Australia take-all is dis
tinguished in its later stages by what
is termed "white-heads." That is,
some of the plants are not effected
badly enough to be dwarfed or killed
in the early or seeding stage. Such
plants may head out, but the head
produces no grain and soon becomes
white and dead, The disease has not /
been under observation in the Unit |
ed States long enough to tell just how
il will act under our field conditions"
If any unusual heads or stalks are |
found please save them, and notify |
Mr.. McCracken or the Republican.
Flag Smut.
Flag smut appears soon after the |
plant begins to shoot. 1t is most |
evident on the leaves, where it causes |
long streaks that are at first gray |
in color. but later become purplish, |
then black and powdery. The upper !
leaves often become more or less |
twisted. although this does not seem |
20 be a constant symptom. In the |
late stages of the disease, the af- |
fected leaves split into longitudinal |
shreds. Usually leaves on all stalks |
in the stool are affected, but this is !
not always the case. Affected plants !
are commonly stunted and rarely !
develop heads. Even in cases where !
the head fills the boot the flag leaf !
may become so twisted and contracted |
as to make it impossible for the head
10 emerge. Badly diseased plants
often wither. and die prematurely.
As the smut appears so early in the
season and the diseased plants are
shorter than the healthy ones, the
smutted ones are easily overlooked
Both of these diseases are dan
geruus. The farmer should not take
a chance He should report to the
agent any disease which tallies with
the above description.
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