David Schisler examines two wheat seed heads inoculated with the
causal agent of head blight, also known as head scab. The seed
head on the right was sprayed with biocontrol microbes that
greatly reduced disease symptoms. Click the image for more
information about it. USDA Patents Microbes to Fight Wheat
Fungus Suszkiw July 17, 2006 Four yeasts and three bacteria that
live on flowering wheat heads, but cause no harm there, have
been patented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as
biological control agents in the fight against Fusarium head
blight (FHB). Caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum, FHB is
among the most costly diseases of cereal crops worldwide,
including wheat, barley and oats. From 1998 to 2000, FHB
epidemics in U.S. small grains inflicted an estimated $2.7
billion worth of losses, notes Schisler. He is a plant
pathologist with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's
chief scientific research The fungus infects wheat through its
flower tissues, including anthers. But competiti