This document summarizes information about smut of sugarcane, a major fungal disease caused by the fungus Ustilago scitaminea. The disease causes black whip-like structures to emerge from infected sugarcane stalks containing millions of black spores. High temperatures in April-May along with dry weather and water shortage lead to increased incidence of the disease. Control measures include removing infected stalks, avoiding ratooning of crops, disinfecting seed setts with fungicides, and using resistant varieties of sugarcane.

1. SMUT OF SUGARCANE

2. CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Symptoms
• Causal organism
• Disease Cycle
• Control measures

3. Introduction
• This is major fungal disease, caused by the
fungus Ustilago sctiaminea and observed on
almost all the varieties commercially
cultivated in India.
• High temperature in April-May, dry weather
and acute shortage of water leading to high
incidence of smut.

4. Symptoms
 The patent symptom of the disease is the
production of a black whip like structure
from the central core of the meristematic
tissue.
 A thin, white and papery membrane covers
the whips when young, this is the epidermis
of the host.When it matures the millions of
black spores liberated and disseminated by
the wind after rupturing the epidermis.

5.  On infection, the stool gives short canes
having thin & stiff leaves and produce more
tillers than the healthy ones.
 Affected canes after whip emergence dies
and withered.

6. Causal Organism
Host:- Saccharum
offlcinarum
Pathogen :- Ustilago
scitaminea

7. • The disease caused by Ustilago sctiaminea.
• The teliospores are spherical , smooth, light
brown in colour.
• They are deposited at the junction of leaf
and sheath from where they travel down the
sheath and reach the nodal reason and they
young eyes.

8. • In presence of moisture at the base of sheath,
the teliospores germinate easily to produce
promycellium and sporidia.
• The sporodia are elongated, unicelluar and
germinate to from hyphae.

9. Disease Cycle

10. Control Measures
• Some control measures to prevent the
incidence of whip smut are given below:
1. Removal of smutted whips from the field.
2. Discourage the practice of ratooning.
3. Avoidance of planting of setts from smutted
canes.

11. 4. Disinfection of setts by 0.1 pre cent mercuric
chloride, agallol, aretan, etc. before planting.
5. Systemic fungicides-like vitavax, benlate, etc.
can be used from sett treatment to eradicate the
internally present dormant mycelium.
6. Use of resistant varieties- like Co 449, 527,
658, 974, 1148, 6806, 7108, 7319, 62101, BO 22,
24, etc.

12. Reference
 Fungi and allied organisms by
P.D. Sharma
 Plant pathology by
B.P PANDEY
https://en.m.wikipedia.org

13. THANK YOU