Ergot of cereals: Toxins, pathogens and management

Abstract

Ergot is a fungal disease of many plants but is perhaps most commonly associated with domesticated grasses or cereals, such as rye, wheat, barley, oat, sorghum, millet, maize and rice. Ergot is of historical significance, having been reported for several millennia, but is also of concern in modern agricultural production systems. Caused by many different species within the genus Claviceps, the fungi cause the production of sclerotia, which are typically dark in colour, in place of healthy grain. The sclerotia contain toxins that can make the grain unsafe for consumption by humans or livestock. Ergot can be managed both preharvest as well as postharvest to minimize the presence of sclerotia and their associated toxins in food and feed systems. In this review, we provide a detailed update on our current knowledge of ergot on cereals, with a focus on recent advances in our understanding of fungal toxins and their regulation, pathogen biology and disease management.