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Smut (fungus)
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The smuts are multicellular characterized by their large numbers of . The smuts get their name from a Germanic word for 'dirt' because of their dark, thick-walled, and dust-like teliospores. They are mostly Ustilaginomycetes (phylum ) and comprise seven of the 15 orders of the subphylum. Most described smuts belong to two orders, and . The smuts are normally grouped with the other because of their commonalities concerning sexual reproduction.Schumann G. L., D'Arcy C. J,. 2006. Essential Plant Pathology. The American Phytopathological Society. St. Paul. Pp. 28-29.


Hosts
They can cause and can infect a broad range of hosts in several monocot and dicot plant families.

Smuts are cereal and crop that most notably affect members of the grass family () and sedges (). Economically important hosts include , , , , , and . They eventually hijack the plants' reproductive systems, forming which darken and burst, releasing fungal which infect other plants nearby. Before infection can occur, the smuts need to undergo a successful mating to form dikaryotic hyphae (two cells fuse to form a ).Bakkeren, G. and Schirawski, J. 2008. Sex in smut fungi: Structure, function and evolution of mating-type complexes. Fungal Genetics and Biology, Vol. 45 (1) S15-S21


Wild rice smut
Ustilago esculenta is a species of fungus in the Ustilaginaceae, the same genus as those that cause corn smut, loose smut of barley, false loose smut, covered smut of barley, loose smut of oats, and other grass diseases. This smut is only able to grow on Manchurian wild rice ( Zizania latifolia, also known as Manchurian ricegrass, Asian wild rice, or wateroat).

Manchurian wild rice is grown as an agricultural crop across Asia – not for its grain, as with other wild rice species, but for the stems. The success of the crop depends on Ustilago esculenta. When the smut invades the host plant it causes – the host's cells increase in size and number. (The fungus also destroys the flowering structures of the plant, so it does not make seed, but the plants can still be propagated asexually by .) In an environment such as a rice paddy, new sprouts of wild rice are easily infected by spores; the fungus can also be transmitted directly through the rhizome.

The wild rice stems, which grow into juicy galls when infected with the smut, are harvested as a vegetable, known as p=jiāo sǔn or c=茭白 in China, and as makomotake in Japan. It is popular for its flavor and texture; the taste resembles fresh bamboo shoots. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and it stays crisp when .


Sugarcane smut
is caused by the fungus Sporisorium scitamineum, previously known as Ustilago scitaminea. It causes significant losses to the economic value of a crop. Sugarcane smut has recently been found in the eastern seaboard areas of Australia, one of the world's highest-yielding sugar areas.

For the sugarcane crop to be infected by the disease, large spore concentrations are needed. The fungus includes a structure known as a 'smut-whip', a curved black structure which emerges from the leaf whorl, which helps to spread the disease to the other plants, usually over a period of about three months. As the inoculum is spread, the younger sugarcane buds just coming out of the soil will be the most susceptible. Water is necessary for the spores to germinate, and irrigation methods have been shown to be a factor in spreading the disease. Therefore, special precautions need to be taken during irrigation to prevent spreading the smut.Waller, J.M. 1969. Sugarcane smut ( Ustilago scitaminea) in Kenya: I. Epidemiology. Transactions of the British Mycological Society. Vol. 52 (1) 139-151.

Another way to prevent the disease from occurring in the sugarcane is to use . This can be done by either soaking the sugarcane in fungicide before planting it, or spraying with fungicide after planting. Pre-plant soaking has been proven to give the best results in preventing the disease, but post-plant spraying is a practical option for large sugarcane cultivations.Olufolaji, D.B. 1993. Evaluation of some relatively new fungicides for smut control in sugarcane. Crop Protection. Vol. 12 (4) 293-295.


Corn smut
( Ustilago maydis) infects . It grows in the ears of the crop and converts the kernels into black, powdery fungal tissues. The smut, called huitlacoche by Mexicans and formerly called cuitlacoche by the , is a delicacy in sold in the markets for use in various dishes including soups, stews, steak sauces, and crepes, while in other parts of the world (including the ) it is not accepted as a food. The amount of protein in corn smut is greater than that which was in the original corn, and also greater than that of oats and clover hay.McMeekin, D. 1999. Different perceptions of the Corn Smut fungus. Mycologist. 13 (4). 180-183.


See also
  • Tilletia tritici (syn. T. caries) and T. laevis (syn. T. foetida)
  • , which includes the species Claviceps purpurea
  • , Ustilago nuda
  • Tilletia controversa (TCK smut)

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