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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #246126
Title: Effect of furrow irrigation on the severity of false smut in susceptible rice varieties

Author
item Brooks, Steven
item ANDERS, MERLE - Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
item Yeater, Kathleen

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2010
Publication Date: 5/1/2010
Citation: Brooks, S.A., Anders, M.M., Yeater, K.M. 2010. Effect of furrow irrigation on the severity of false smut in susceptible rice varieties. Plant Disease. 94(5):570-574.

Interpretive Summary: False smut is an important disease of rice in the southern United States, where all rice varieties grown are susceptible to the disease. Suppression of false smut disease symptoms was observed in furrow-irrigated rice, where disease symptoms were nearly eliminated. False smut suppression was not limited to specific rice varieties, rather it was a general trend true for all varieties tested. Kernel smut disease was also monitored and no effect on this disease was observed from the furrow-irrigation treatments. Therefore, suppression of disease severity in furrow-irrigated rice appears to be a phenomenon unique to the rice-false smut pathosystem.

Technical Abstract: False smut is an important emerging disease of rice in the southern United States, where rice varieties that occupy the majority of production acreages are all susceptible to the disease. False smut susceptibility was evaluated in traditional paddy-rice fields, and under upland irrigated conditions, to determine the effects of alternative agricultural practices on the severity of this disease. Highly effective false smut suppression was observed in upland rice, where disease symptoms were nearly eliminated from susceptible rice entries. False smut suppression was observed for two hybrids and one conventional rice cultivar, demonstrating that suppression was not limited to specific germplasm sources. Kernel smut severity was also monitored and no effect on this disease was observed from the irrigation treatments. Therefore, suppression of disease severity in upland rice appears to be a phenomenon unique to the rice-false smut pathosystem, which can be exploited to achieve effective field resistance to this disease.