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Which pests and diseases can damage cereal crops?

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A large red and yellow combine harvester cuts through a golden wheat field, leaving neat rows of harvested grain behind. — Cereal farming Combine harvesting wheat.

Cereal crops face significant threats from various pests and diseases that can impact both growing plants and stored grain.

Pests

During storage, cereals are highly vulnerable to insect infestations, particularly when moisture levels are high or ventilation is poor. Key pests include:1
* Endosperm borers: Such as the grain weevil, rice and maize weevils, the lesser grain borer, and the angoumois grain moth.1
* Grain germ eaters: Including the rust-red grain beetle, saw-toothed grain beetle, khapra beetle, and warehouse moth.1
* Secondary pests: These include the Mediterranean flour moth, various flour beetles, the flat grain beetle, and the flour mite.1

Diseases

Cereal crops are also susceptible to various plant diseases and nematodes, which can cause widespread destruction. Notable examples include:2
* Bunt: A fungal disease affecting wheat and rye that replaces kernels with "smut balls" of spores.3
* Black stem rust: Caused by Puccinia graminis, this disease affects wheat and many grasses, often resulting in severe yield losses.4
* Smuts: Including corn smut and loose smut, which destroy plant kernels.4
* Seedling diseases: Conditions like damping-off are often favored by excessively wet soil conditions.5