Crop Clinic

Additonal research following the survey enables us to determine the potential risk of ergot developing in spring barley based on the genetic susceptibility of the variety, flowering characteristics and length of flowering.

Ergot (Claviceps purpurea) is an important disease of cereals which can lead to extensive financial losses to growers due to the toxicity of ergot present in the grain.

Ergot levels vary from year to year, and are influenced by weather at flowering, which affects both the host and the pathogen. Open flowering grass species are known to be at greater risk from the disease.  An increase in alternative grass hosts in crops, field margins buffer strips and beetle banks has led to an increased risk of the problem in recent years.

This project focussed on the risk ergot developing in spring barley varieties. Decanter and Maresi are known to be susceptible to this disease. This project looked at the flowering habits of these susceptible varieties alongside the Recommended List varieties to determine if the more susceptible varieties had a prolonged flowering period and an open flowering habit. These flowering characteristics would provide a greater opportunity of infection with ergot spores.  Inoculation experiments also determined the genetic susceptibility of varieties to ergot.

The results from an HGCA-funded study confirmed that Maresi and Decanter were genetically susceptible to ergot. Both varieties also have a more open flowering habit potentially enabling ergot spores to more readily infect the heads compared to varieties with a closed flowering habit.  On the basis of the inoculation results and the assessments of flowering habit, a table of the potential risk of varieties to ergot has been produced.  It must be emphasised that low risk varieties may still get ergot, but for feed barley growers in high risk situations, choosing varieties which did not show ergot when inoculated which also have a closed flowering habit would be potentially at a lower risk from ergot compared to genetically susceptible varieties and varieties with an open flowering habit, or which flower for a greater length of time.