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Ec00-1879 Sorghum Ergot In The Northern Great Plains, Jim Stack

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Sorghum is grown throughout Nebraska on approximately 0.6 million acres of land. It is grown as a forage crop as well as a grain crop. There is no significant commercial seed production in Nebraska. Grain sorghum is used domestically as livestock feed, in ethanol production, and to a limited extent as a food crop.

Grain sorghum is also exported to several countries. All sorghum hybrids (grain and forage) are susceptible to ergot disease. Ergot is a disease that impacts sorghum production directly by infecting unfertilized flowers and preventing seed development. Ergot also impacts sorghum production indirectly. Affected fields with honeydew-covered …