STUDIES ON THE CONTROL OF DWARF BUNT IN WINTER WHEAT

The development of satisfactory measures for the control of the dwarf bunt disease in winter wheat is complicated by the long persistence of the causal fungus in the soil and also by the occurrence of physiologic races. A brief review of literature dealing with these problems is presented.The present paper deals primarily with the use of fungicidal chemicals in the control of this disease. Experimental results from tests conducted during the period 1954–1958 showed that chemical seed treatment was useless against soil-borne inoculum, but that liquid mercurial and chlorobenzene seed dressings were highly effective against seed-borne spores. The only substantial reduction of disease in the field was achieved by the use of chlorobenzene fungicides applied to the surface of the soil shortly after planting.A list of recommendations for seed treatment, as a measure of limiting the spread of this disease, is given at the end of this paper.