Which fungal disease spreads by seed and flowers : -
A
Loose smut of Wheat
B
Corn stunt
C
Covered smut of Barley
D
Soft rot of Potato
The answer is A.
Solution
Loose smut of wheat is caused by the fungus Ustilago tritici (U. nuda tritici). Its spores are carried by wind to healthy wheat flowers at flowering time. The fungus infects the flower and the developing grain, and remains dormant inside the embryo of the seed (internally seed-borne). When the infected seed is sown, the fungus grows with the plant and replaces the ears with masses of black spores. Covered smut of barley is externally seed-borne (spores on the seed surface), corn stunt is caused by a spiroplasma, and soft rot of potato by bacteria. So loose smut of wheat spreads by seed and flowers.
ConceptLoose smut of wheat is flower-infecting and seed-borne
Kingdom Fungi: Plant Diseases in past papers
2 questions from this chapter have appeared across 2 exam years.