A Review on Rice False Smut, it’s Distribution, Identification and Management Practices

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the major source of food security for most of the population in the world. False smut is recently emerging as a major Rice disease which was previously considered to have a negligible impact. An ascomycetes fungus, Villosiclava virens is the pathogen that causes the False Smut disease of rice. It is found in two different stages sexual and asexual and both spores can infect the spikelet and lead to the formation of smut ball of rice grain. The disease has been reported from all across the world after being reported for the first time in Tamil Nadu by Cooke in 1878. Rice False Smut has been reported to cause 40% of the yield losses and this disease can be controlled with the proper management practices and the control approaches. The disease is found to have linked with the higher nitrogen usages and the occurrence of heavy rainfall during Reproductive stage. Preventive approaches include crop rotation, optimum nitrogen usages, selection of the resistant variety, scheduling of the crop plantation to avoid raining during sensitive stages and field preparation. While control of the disease could be done with different methods, application of fungicides Trioxystrobin 25%+ Tebuconazole 50% and Propiconazole 25 EC in vitro and in vivo condition showed 100% inhibition to growth of fungal mycelium being the most effective chemical among other contemporary fungicides. Among the different fungicides tested azoxystrobin (18.2%) SC showed better efficacy at 0.1 per cent and enhanced the paddy yield under field condition. The study done by Raji 2016 shows significant control of the False smut using the extract of garlic, turmeric, lantana and Bael, whereas plant oils of lemon grass and cinnamon have completely inhibited the growth of U. virens. This review aims to educate about the disease and its effective management strategies.

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