Disease Name: Loose Smut 

Cause:    Ustilago tritici (Pers.) Rostr. (=Ustilago nuda tritici Schaf.)

Symptoms:  This is an internally seed born disease. The ear heads are smutted in finally the grains are replaced by a block powdery mass of spores and finally only the naked rachis is remaining behind. As a matter of fact the diseased ears emerge a little earlier than healthy plants. The black powder is a mass of olive-green spores of the fungus.

Control:

1.  Grow resistance varieties like Kalyansona, Sonalika and PU-18.

2.  Treat seeds with Vitavax @ 2-2.5 g/kg seed before planting.

3.  Rouge out suspected diseased ears at the time of ear emergence and destroy them by burning or burying under the ground.

4.  Solar head treatment of seeds is practicable in the hot summer areas of plains. On a bright sunny day in the last week of May or first week of June, soak the seeds in water for about 4 hours in the morning and then dry it under hot sun in the afternoon. Store the well dried seed for use in the next season.