Ergot "C. lutea" (on paspalum). "C. purpurea" most commonly affects outcrossing species such as rye (its most common host), as well as triticale, wheat, and barley. It affects oats only rarely. "C. purpurea" has at least three races or varieties, which differ in their host specificity: An ergot kernel, called a "sclerotium", develops when a spore of fungal species of the genus "Claviceps" infects a floret of flowering grass or cereal. The infection process mimics a pollen grain growing into an ovary during fertilization. Infection requires that the fungal spore have access to the stigma; consequently, plants infected by "Claviceps" are
Milky spore reproduction of the bacteria inside the grub. Within 7–21 days the grub will eventually die and as the grub decomposes, billions of new spores are released into the soil. Milky spore in the soil is not harmful to beneficial insects, birds, bees, pets, or people; and milky spore, like other bacteria, is highly survivable in drought conditions but suffers in temperatures of Zone 5 and colder. Milky spore Paenibacillus popilliae (formerly "Bacillus popilliae") is a soil-dwelling, Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium. It is responsible for a disease (commonly called milky spore) of the white grubs of Japanese beetles. The adult Japanese beetles