Diagnosing barley loose smut

A fungal disease affecting seed heads, which can cause yield losses and delivery penalties.

 

Florets are replaced with a mass of dark brown-black powdery spores that blow away.
Seed replaced with a compact mass of dark brown-black powdery spores.

What to look for

    Paddock

  • Scattered plants with black heads or bare flower stalks.

    Plant

  • Infected plants may be slightly taller and earlier maturing than surrounding healthy plants.
  • At heading florets are replaced with a compact mass of dark brown-black powdery spores.
  • Bare stalks remain once fungal spores have blown away.

Where did it come from?

Contaminated seed
Contaminated seed
Wet or humid conditions
Wet or humid conditions
  • The disease is carried as a small colony of fungus in the seed. This infects the growing point of the barley seedling following germination.
  • Loose smut is not carried in soil or contaminated machinery.
  • Infection is favoured by rainfall and high humidity during flowering.

Management strategies

Seed dressing fungicide
Seed dressing fungicide
  • Do not sow seed with high levels of loose smut.
  • Fungicidal seed dressing controls loose smut.
  • Use clean seed if contamination is found.
Source URL: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/mycrop/diagnosing-barley-loose-smut
This print version was generated at 7:15am on the 21st of May, 2024.
The original document was last revised at Thu, 16/04/2015 - 10:13am

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Important disclaimer

The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.