On June 21, 2001, USDA expanded its Karnal bunt quarantine to include the four Texas counties of Archer, Baylor, Throckmorton, and Young - all of which are within the southernmost boundary of the Wheat Belt. The quarantine now covers La Paz, Maricopa, Pinal, and Yuma counties in Arizona; Imperial and Riverside counties in California; Dona Ana, Hidalgo, Luna, and Sierra counties in New Mexico; and, Archer, Baylor, El Paso, Hudspeth, McCulloch, San Saba, Throckmorton, and Young counties in Texas. On July 2, 2001, Nebraska amended its state Karnal bunt quarantine.
What is Karnal bunt?
Karnal bunt is caused by the fungus Tilletia indica that affects crop yields and
quality. The disease originated in India in 1931 and arrived in the United States in 1996, when it
was found in Arizona and California. The following year it was found in Texas. Flour made
from bunted kernels may be discolored and have an unpleasant odor and taste but is not a human
health risk. The most detrimental effect of the disease is on international and domestic markets.
Many countries will not import wheat from areas that have tested positive for the disease and
some domestic flour mills will not accept it.
What is the state of Nebraska doing to protect its wheat growers?
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has surveyed for Karnal bunt since 1993, and NDA
responded with a state quarantine when the disease was first detected in the United States in
1996. NDA staff have participated in numerous conference calls with the USDA, Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Emergency
Programs staff to track and halt the spread of Karnal bunt. Nebraska is participating in the
National Karnal Bunt Survey in 2001. Forty wheat samples will be collected and tested from
Nebraska wheat-producing counties as the 2001 crop is harvested. Combines crossing
Nebraska's southern borders are being inspected for quarantine compliance.
What is USDA doing to protect wheat growers?
USDA expanded its quarantine to include Archer, Baylor, Throckmorton and Young counties in
Texas to prevent the spread of Karnal bunt. The federal quarantine covers the movement of
regulated items, and equipment and storage facility cleaning. Regulated articles included in the
quarantine are: wheat, durum wheat, and triticale grain; plants, seed, and straw; soil; elevators
and grain storage buildings; equipment including trucks and railroad cars used to move wheat;
and farm implements and equipment used to plant, harvest, and process wheat. USDA-APHIS
has quarantined infested bins of wheat and straw. They are tracking wheat from infested fields
where Karnal bunt was first detected, and from adjacent fields to determine the extent of the
infection.
What can you do to protect the Nebraska wheat industry?
USDA requires that harvest equipment be cleaned before it leaves a quarantined area. However,
the USDA quarantine was issued after most of the harvest in Archer, Baylor, Throckmorton, and
Young counties was complete. Some custom harvesters who worked the area may not know
about the quarantine. A producer can help stem the spread of Karnal bunt by asking where the
custom harvester has been and if the equipment has been properly cleaned. Custom harvesters
are
expected to enter Nebraska with equipment that has been properly cleaned.
Karnal Bunt Equipment
Cleaning Protocol
APHIS - USDA Emergency Programs