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Bunt



Bunt on wheat is caused by Tilletia caries.  The grain is replaced by  “bunt balls” - masses of fishy-smelling brown spores which can rapidly contaminate the crop, combine, trailers, cleaning gear and sacks. The fungal spores adhere to the seed coat and after infection the fungus grows up within the emerging seedling. The infected seedlings are indistinguishable from healthy seedlings since their growth is virtually unaffected until after ear emergence. Even a low level of infection can render the crop unfit for milling purposes.
The test, which normally takes 2-3 days, requires a trained analyst to identify and count fungal spores with results given as spores per grain. NIAB advises that any seedlot with a bunt spore level greater than 1 spore per grain should be treated with an appropriate fungicide.