Ergot affects a range of wild grasses, tame grasses and small grain cereals worldwide. Many grasses and rye are open pollenated and are therefore very prone to ergot infection. Wheat, barley and oats are close pollenated and not usually susceptible to ergot infection. Triticale is not immune to ergot but generally much less susceptible than rye. Copper deficiency and herbicide induced copper deficiency cause pollen sterility allowing wheat, barley and oats to be come susceptible to ergot since the sterile florets are forced to open to pick up pollen. Severe midseason frosts and extreme drought may also cause pollen sterility in wheat, barley and oats. Ergots are very toxic to man and animals. LSD or lysergol diethylamine is derived from ergots. Ergot infection in rye is severe under very dry weather conditions, an indication that its main method of spread is via insects that feed on the conidial ooze in infected rye florets before transfer to uninfected open flowers. Reservoirs of ergot infection in Alberta occur in the wild headland grasses from which infecting spores from the mushroom producing sclerotia move into the rye crop. Rye after rye can be an ergot disaster due to a buildup of the disease causing sclerotia in the soil.

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