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False Smut : Ustilaginoidea virens (Cke.) Takahashi (Deuteromycotina: Moniliales: Dematiacea) Kannada Name: Kadige Roga False smut is a fungal disease and is more severe in the years of high rainfall. The farmers consider its incidence as an omen of Good Harvest. Period of occurrence : Panicle emergence Extent of yield loss : Negligible, Udupi district 23% and DWR 3% 1000 grain weight by 48% Chaffyness by 40% Seedling growth Seed germination by 25%

Paddy: False Smut

 

Conditions favorable for the pathogen:

• Low temperature (20°C)
• High relative humidity (>92%)
• Moderate rainfall with intermittent clear and drizzling weather during flowering.
• More prevalent in seasons favorable for good growth and high yields

Host plants: Grasses and Wild rice

Symptoms:

• Visible only after panicle emergence at milk stage
• Individual grains of the panicle are transformed into yellow or greenish velvety spore balls
• Usually a few grains in a panicle are infected..
• Visible in between glumes.
• 1 cm and above diameter.
• Smooth yellow colored membrane which bursts at later stage

Sources of inoculum  : Many grasses and Wild rice

Mode of transmission: Air

Control measures :

Preventive measures:

• Resistant genotype - Kavya, IR -64, IR- 30864

Chemical control

Spray Chlorothalonil 75 WP , (Kavach ® ) @  2 ml per 1 of water during flowering.

• Bavistin 0.1% effective