ERGOT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 10, 30 January 1942, Page 5

ERGOT

A FUNGOID GROWTH

AN INTERESTING LtFE-CYCLE

Since ergot fungus is of great importance at this time it may be of. interest to know sofnething about it.

Ergot itself is a stage in the development of a fungus known as "Claviceps purpura." This fungus attacks grasses such as: tall fescue, cocksfoot, rye grass and a few others. Warm' damp places offer best conditions for its growth. Grasses are attacked at time of flowering when the heads may be found to have a sort of slime. This dries up in a few days, meanwhile the spores of the fungus have penetrated to the interior of the flower which it destroys. The spores develop giving rise to a dark, compact, violet coloured body which as it grows takes a curved horn shape, one-third to one and a half inches in length protruding from the grass head. These dark bodies constitute the spurs of ergot and they reach maturity in . the middle of summer. They remaip quiescent till spring when they send out sprouts or fruit heads of the fungus which develop spores. These spores then attack the grass heads and so the life-cycle is recommenced. The.'Spurs of ergot contain three active" principles, cornutine, an alkaloid and sphacelinlc and ergotinic acids. The effect of these agents is to stimulate and contract the socalled involuntary muscular iibres including that of the arteries. This means that the flow of blood to the extremities is diminished and symptoms of ergotism appear. Ergot poisoning among cattle is a fairly common o-currence, in different parts of the Dominion. This disease takes the form of a dry gangrene of one or other of the extremeties, usually a hind foot. In winter ergot poisoning is more pronounced. Cattle swallow the ergot when grazing in the summer but some time elapses before any symptoms occur.