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Control Recommendations Management
Practices Pesticides
Loose smut of barley is known to occur wherever barley is grown. The pathogen survives
form one season to the next as dormant mycelium (fungal threads) within the embryo of the
barley seed. When a non-protected, infected seed germinates the fungus breaks dormancy and
grows systemically within the developing barley plant. When the barley plant would
normally produce a head the pathogen invades all the flower parts. When the head of the
infected plant emerges it produces massive amount of smut spores (teliospores) instead of
a normal flowering barley head. Infection occurs when normal flowering heads of adjacent
plants are dusted with the wind-blown teliospores form smutted heads. The teliospores
germinate and invade the female parts of the barley flowers and eventually colonize the
developing embryo. One the infected seed matures the pathogen goes dormant until the cycle
is repeated with the germination of the barley seed.
Unlike other seedborne pathogens loose cannot be controlled by any fungicide that not
systemically active. Fortunately there are several very effective seed treatment
fungicide.
| Disease Management Practices | Foliar Diseases | Seed and Seedling Diseases | Root and Crown Diseases | Head Diseases | Virus Diseases |
