False Smut of Rice (How to identify and manage?) | False Smut of Paddy | Krishi Network

Description:- What it does
False smut causes chalkiness of grains which leads to reduction in grain weight. It also reduces seed germination.

Why and where it occurs
The disease can occur in areas with high relative humidity (greater than 90%) and temperature ranging from 25−35 ºC.

Rain, high humidity, and soils with high nitrogen content also favors disease development. Wind can spread the fungal spores from plant to plant.

False smut is visible only after panicle exsertion. It can infect the plant during flowering stage.

How to identify
Check for presence of velvety smut balls on spikelets.

false-smut-black-spores
Spore balls are initially orange and turn greenish black when mature .
Plants infected with false smut have individual rice grain transformed into a mass of spore balls. These spore balls are initially orange, and then turn into greenish black when these mature.

In most cases, not all spikelets of a panicle are affected, but spikelets neighboring smut balls are often unfilled.

How to manage
Keep the field clean.
Remove infected seeds, panicles, and plant debris after harvest.
Reduce humidity levels through alternate wetting and drying (AWD) rather than permanently flooding the fields.
Where possible, perform conservation tillage and continuous rice cropping.


Use moderate rates of Nitrogen.
Use certified seeds.
Resistant varieties have been reported. Contact your local agriculture office for an up-to-date list of available varieties.
Treat seeds at 52°C for 10 min.

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