Flag smut disease:
Causal Organism= Urocystis agropyri
Symptoms=
a) Long narrow, lead grey or black streak, running parcelled to venisare formed on the leaves.
b) These symptoms become visible when the crop is about 60-70 days old.
c) The effected plant remain stunted with only 2-3 tillers are rarely bare ears.
e) The stem bearing a small ear is also infected.
f) The plant gets infected during germination on the seed before emergence from the soil.
Favourable condition=
Temperature: 18-24 degree
Relative humidity: 65%
Disease cycle=
Perennation: though seed as well as soil
Primary infection: through sowing infected seeds or
resting spores present in soil.
Secondary infection: through infected seed, air etc.
Diagram of flag smut disease cycle=
Management=
Cultural method
a) Remove all the infected seed before sowing.
b) Use disease registrant varieties. E.g., PUSA 44, WG 377.
c) Roughing and burning in infected plants.
d) Avoid seeds from infected area.
e) Proper tillage application applies in field.
f) Proper weed management application applies in field.
g) Remove all infarcted part of the plant.
h) Proper spacing maintain between row to row and plant to plant.
i) Proper light or ventilation maintain in the field.
j) Proper field sanitation application applies in field.
Chemical method
a) Before sowing seed should be treated with chemical.
b) Treat the seed with carboxin at 2g/kg.
