Examining ATI Wisdom Booklets: Booklet 5 – Science – How Wheat Grows

The Chinch Bug is a minor issue that causes localized grain loss during dry summers in the Northern Mississippi River basin.  It’s such a minor issues that the local extension agencies don’t recommend spraying for it unless the infestation is really dense.

• You know, if I was going to focus on a single wheat disease, I’d pick common smut since it can cause spontaneous ignition of the fields….
• Hessian flies are a real economic issue.  The problem isn’t with the flies or the larva drinking the liquid in the wheat exactly.  The problem is that the larva weaken the stem so much that the stem breaks before the grains on the wheat have ripened.