Ergot, UR guht, is a parasitic fungus that attacks wheat, barley, rye, and many wild and cultivated grasses. It most commonly infects rye. Ergot attacks the grain of the plant. Long purple structures of the fungus called sclerotia form in place of the seeds of the host plant. In the spring these sclerotia grow and produce stalks and spores. The spores ripen and are scattered by the wind to infect new plants. Ergot infection can be reduced or prevented by rotating crops, using clean seed, and cutting grasses that may harbor the disease.