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Disease: Corn Smut
Pathogen: Ustilago maydis
Host: Corn, Zea mays
Corn smut is a remarkable disease caused by the basidiomycete fungus, Ustilago maydis. The fungus overwinters as teliospores in the soil. The black growths in the photograph are galls filled with a mass of teliospores. When teliospores germinate, they produce sporidia. Sporidia usually infect actively growing tissues in buds, ears, tassels, leaves and stalks. Infections stimulate galls to form. When sporidia land on the stigma (or silk) of corn flowers, they produce hyhae that grow into the kernels, which become infected and form galls. The mycelium inside the galls eventually becomes a mass of teliospores. In its early stages, corn smut is a highly prized edible fungus, sometimes called “the smoky maize mushroom.” Smuts are very common on many grasses throughout the world, but most are not as striking and as easy to see as corn smut.
These images can be found in the APS CD-Rom, Diseases of Cereal Grain Diseases.
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© Copyright 2001 by The American Phytopathological Society
