Introduction to False Smut

History

The fungus causing false smut was first described by Cooke in 1878. A severe infection was reported in the Philippines in 1918 during damp weather and, in Burma, there was a report of an epidemic in 1935.

Distribution and Occurrence

False smut, also known as green smut, is present in most of the major rice-growing areas in tropical Asia and in Italy, Australia, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, Panama, Mexico, South America, and the United States. Epidemics of false smut disease were reported in Tamil Nadu in India and later in many countries, such as Japan, Philippines, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Burma, Peru, and China.