No traces of karnal bunt were found in North Dakota wheat during the 2010 national survey for the fungal disease.

"North Dakota wheat can now be certified for export as free from karnal bunt," says  Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. "Many countries that buy wheat from us require this certification."

Karnal bunt is a minor disease of wheat with an insignificant effect on yield and no health risk. If found in sufficient quantity, it can give wheat and durum products an unpleasant odor. It is regulated by a number of U.S. trading partners.

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture collected 262 samples – 228 spring wheat and 34 durum – from 63 elevators across the state. These samples were then analyzed by a U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratory in Olney, Texas.

The annual survey was begun in 1996. Other states participating in the 2010 survey are Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

First reported in wheat from Karnal, India, in 1931, karnal bunt is now found in all Indian wheat-growing states, as well as Pakistan, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Syria and Afghanistan. Small production areas in Arizona and California are currently regulated by USDA. Karnal bunt has never been detected in North Dakota.

According to USDA, exports of wheat and wheat products from North Dakota in 2009 were valued at $1.15 billion.

Source: ND Department of Agriculture