A fungal disease of millet caused by the pathogen Sphacelotheca destruens, in which the plant's reproductive organs are completely destroyed and replaced by a mass of spores.
In the reference
18
varieties
crop Proso millet,
where this is mentioned in the description.
The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Sphacelotheca destruens, which infects the plant during seed germination. Teliospores can persist in the soil for up to two years and can also be present on the surface of seed material. Affected plants show stunted growth, increased tillering, and excessive foliage.
Symptoms appear during the heading stage: instead of a normal panicle, a deformed structure covered by a membrane forms, which ruptures over time. A black mass of spores is released, leaving only the vascular bundles in the form of black threads behind.
Breeding for resistance relies on the use of Sph-type genes, such as Sph1-Sph4. Resistance is often inherited as a monogenic trait, and variety identification is conducted using a set of testing pure races of the pathogen under provocative field conditions.
General information about the subject — on the page
Smut.
Varieties of Proso millet mentioned in the description
Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.