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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #287715
Title: Influence of planting depths on the incidence of sorghum head smut, caused by Sporisorium reilianum

Author
item Prom, Louis
item MONTES-GARCIA, NOE - Instituto Nacional De Investigaciones Forestales Y Agropecuarias (INIFAP)
item ODVODY, GARY - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/29/2013
Publication Date: 4/1/2014
Citation: Prom, L.K., Montes-Garcia, N., Odvody, G. 2014. Influence of planting depths on the incidence of sorghum head smut, caused by Sporisorium reilianum. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems. 17:33-38.

Interpretive Summary: Sorghum head smut is an important fungus disease that is found in all areas where sorghum is grown. In this study, the effect of planting sorghum seeds at three different depths 6 cm, 15 cm, and 22 cm on the incidence of head smut was determined. The results showed that the amount of diseased sorghum plants was higher at the 6 cm planting depth than at either the 15 cm or 22 cm planting depths. The work suggests that cultural practices such as planting depth greater than 6 cm could be used to reduce the incidence of sorghum head smut in the absence of other methods for controlling the disease.

Technical Abstract: This study was conducted at the Texas A&M Experiment Station in Beeville, Texas, to determine the effect of planting depths on the incidence of sorghum head smut. In both years, the incidence of head smut decreased with planting depth. In year 2, the number of smutted plants was two-fold and three-fold higher at 6 cm planting depth than at the 15 cm and 22 cm planting depths. The study suggests that planting depths greater than 6 cm could to use to minimize the impact of sorghum head smut in the absence of other control methods.