It's really ugly but it's a sign of a healthy environment for soil microbes.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39979185
This here is trichoderma ear rot in an organic field. This 100 day variety was chewed on by an earworm. The damaged kernals allowed trichderma to enter and infect the ear. This ear rot produces many toxins and is a big no for consumption.
The twist - Trichoderma is usually a beneficial organism in the soil. It feeds on other pathogenic fungus/bacteria and is applied extensively for biological control.
Although normally a secondary pathogen, it has mutated to become a primary pathogen in both Italy and Germany in recent years.
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FYI, earworm is a moth and not to be confused with the earwig which is called Ohrwurm in German.
I had read "earthworm", which FYI happen to be non-existiant in North American soil, natively.
Yes, they became extinct during the ice age, but have been reintroduced by some people who wanted to use them as bait for fishing, causing big trouble in the ecosystem.
Who run the world? Fungiii~