Effect of male sterility on ergot disease spread in wheat

Cytoplasmic male-sterile winter wheat, grown in the field in England with a limited supply of pollen, set over 80% less seed than fertile wheat. Wheat ears precociously inoculated with ergot ( Claviceps purpurea ) initiated local natural epidemics of disease at flowering and, within 1-5m of primary foci, sclerotial abundance at harvest was correlated inversely with seed set, Sclerotial mass in poorly pollinated male-sterile wheat comprised more than 20% of the threshed grain yield, in contrast to only 0.7% in fertile wheat.