Description: The
kernels and florets of loose smut affected heads are converted to a mass of
black, sooty fungal spores. After the disease head emerges, the spores are blown
away by the wind, leaving the rachis of the head bare.
Location: Not common, but can occur anywhere in Ohio.
Time of attack: Loose smut is seed-borne and effectively controlled with
seed treatments. Symptoms appear during heading of the crop in late May.
Management:
· Seed treatment