Studies on parasitic cultivation of ergot [Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul.] in India

Abstract

Experiments were undertaken to standardise the techniques involved in large-scale cultivation of ergot [Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul.]. It was found that the rye crop planted from the last week of September up-to the middle of October to be more suitable for obtaining a good yield of ergot. The spore suspension of the ergot fungus raised on wheat or rye grain medium retained its infective ability even after storing for about 3 days at room temperature (20±2° C.) and for about 5 days when stored under refrigerated conditions (5°C.). Among the four synthetic liquid media tested the medium described by Amiciet al. (1967) proved to be more suitable for raising the ergot inoculum on a large scale and it also retained its infectivity even after diluting twenty times of its volume. Rye plots, if inoculated two times by the needle board puncture method with the inoculum containing about 41,000 spores/mm.3 was found to be sufficient to yield maximum quantity of ergot sclerotia. The yield of the ergot sclerotia obtained from the plots inoculated by the needle board puncture method was found to be almost two times the yield obtained from those plots which were inoculated by spray method. Variation in alkaloid content has been observed in the ergot sclerotia obtained from the same strain and also within the same sclerotium. Experiments carried out on the probability of contamination of the ergot infection to the other cereal crops indicated that there are very little chances of ergot infection spreading to the other cereal crops and also the over-summering of the ergot sclerotia in the field under the natural conditions of the Jammu region.