The most common symptom of a serious attack is poor establishment. The fungus can also cause root rotting brown foot rot, leaf blotch and in combination with Fusarium species, ear blight. It is regarded as the most common cause of seedling blight and sowing seedlots with high levels of infection causes very poor crop establishment leading to yield loss. Infected grain with inoculum mainly follows wet seasons with high levels of fusarium head blight. During such seasons spores are spread by splash from stembase up the plant and ultimately infect the ear. Inoculum is also found in the soil. Infections from infected seed are increased following late sowing. For DK: recommended thresholds for conventional farming in DK. For organic farming these thresholds are obligatory

The disease is quite rare in many parts of Europe these days. Since the significance of this disease has dropped since the beginning of the 1980th. The severity depends on precipitation in the season where the seed is produced. However at high levels crop establishment can be badly affected. The most common effect is poor plant establishment; Symptoms are so similar to those of Microdochium seedling blight that only laboratory analysis can distinguish tham. Septoria nodorum is more commonly associated with necrotic blotching of leaves and glumes Although the disease can survive on plant debris, most infections result from seed born inoculum. Risk factors are high seed infection levels combined with cool and wet condition. Many seed treatments are known to be effectively controlling this disease. For DK: recommended thresholds for conventional farming in DK. For organic farming these thresholds are obligatory

In some cases a hard purple black sclerotium up to 2 cm long, replaces some grains in the ear. Yield is normally not affected but ergot is highly poisonous to man an animals, so contaminated grain will be rejected or require cleaning. Standard requirements are given for certified seed. The ergots survive from season to season as dormant sclerotium place on the ground. In summer it will germinate and produce spores which by wind will spread to the open flowering grasses or cereals. For DK: recommended thresholds for conventional farming in DK. For organic farming these thresholds are obligatory

For DK: recommended thresholds for conventional farming in DK. For organic farming these thresholds are obligatory