Diseases

Smut — Common Wheat

Triticum aestivum L.

A group of fungal diseases of common wheat, including loose, common bunt, and dwarf bunt, caused by highly specialized pathogens of the genera Ustilago and Tilletia.

In the reference 218 varieties crop Bread wheat, where this is mentioned in the description.

Loose smut, caused by Ustilago tritici, manifests during the heading stage with the complete destruction of the spike and the replacement of tissues with a black mass of spores. Common bunt (pathogens Tilletia caries and Tilletia laevis) infects the grain, replacing it with spores inside an intact pericarp, which is accompanied by a trimethylamine odor. Dwarf bunt, caused by Tilletia controversa, is characterized by additional symptoms such as excessive tillering and plant stunting.

The pathogens exhibit high variability: more than 40 races have been described for loose smut, and common bunt populations are differentiated into physiological races, including aggressive forms. In resistance breeding, genes of the Bt1–Bt10 series are used to control common bunt, and Ut-type genes are used for loose smut, with selection conducted under specialized disease nurseries.

General information about the subject — on the page Smut.

Sources8

Varieties of Bread wheat 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.