Effect of male sterility on ergot disease spread in wheat

Abstract

Cytoplasmic male‐sterile winter wheat, grown in the field in England with a limited supply of pollen, set over 80% less seed than fertile wheat. Wheat ears precociously inoculated with ergot (Claviceps purpurea) initiated local natural epidemics of disease at flowering and, within 1‐5m of primary foci, sclerotial abundance at harvest was correlated inversely with seed set, Sclerotial mass in poorly pollinated male‐sterile wheat comprised more than 20% of the threshed grain yield, in contrast to only 0.7% in fertile wheat.