Further Studies on the Occurrence and Distribution of Physiologic Races of Tilletia foetida in Kansas

Abstract

Bunt or stinking smut, Tilletia foetida (Wallr.) Liro, is one of the major diseases of wheat in Kansas. The average annual loss in yield for the state during the last 30 years has been 2,500,000 bushels (4). There are additional losses due to reduced market value of contaminated wheat used for milling purposes, and to explosions and fires in threshing machines, elevators and mills. Since bunt greatly affects the quality of flour, special means of cleaning or scouring smutted grain are necessary to remove the spores. This process involves extra expense to the milling industry which, in turn, pays less to the farmer who sells smutty wheat. Dockage may vary from a few cents to a considerable amount per bushel. Bunt is most commonly controlled by treating the seed prior to planting with fungicides such as New Improved Ceresan and copper carbonate. Breeding wheat varieties that are bunt resistant is another important way to reduce the losses. There are, however, many difficulties in such a program. Besides having resistance to bunt, a variety of winter wheat for Kansas must have good yielding capacity, be winter hardy, be free from shattering, have stiff straw, be early enough to escape hot weather, and have good milling and baking qualities. It is also desirable that the variety should be resistant to other major diseases as the rusts and loose smut and to major wheat insects as the Hessian fly. In breeding bunt-resistant varieties of wheat, the investigations at the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station are carried on cooperatively by the Departments of Botany, Agronomy, Entomology, and Milling Industry with the cooperation of the Division of Cereal Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, U.S.D.A.