False smut

Caused by: Ustilaginoidea virens
Problem Category: Fungal Disease
Symptoms: The pathogen infect the rice plant during flowering stage and causes chalkiness of grain. The individual grains were covered with orange fungal mass in the beginning, later turns into greenish velvet color during sporulation stage and finally into charcoal black during spore maturation stage. It infect only few grains in spikelet. Recorded disease loss up to 75% in severe incidence. It also reduces market value of rice.
Comments: It is seed born disease and may also affect seed germination.
Management: Treat seeds with hot water (52 C) for 10 min. Roughing the infected plants from field and from harvested grains. Keep the rice field and surrounding clean. Use resistant varieties. Maintain humidity in field by alternate wetting and drying.
Control: spray 2 times 5% Cowdung+Asafoetida solution in 10 days interval.