220 
HELMINTHOSPORIUM SPP. ON CEREALS AND SUGARCANE IN INDIA 
nodulosum B. and C. (Hleusine coracana and EH. egyptiaca), H. Sacchari Butl. 
(sugarcane). Beside these, H. Oryzw Miyabe and Hori (rice), H. flagelloideum 
Atk. (Panicum) and a species on wheat have been collected - from various 
places. The species on wheat has been brought into culture from diseased 
wheat plants obtained from Burma, Nagpur, Poona and Pusa, and all cultures 
from these four places show a good deal of variation im cultural characters and 
in the measurement of spores. They all give positive results when moculated 
on wheat and behave alike when inoculated on other hosts. Wheat Helmin- 
thosporium varies in culture on the same media, and when compared with 
H. teres Sacc. found on barley, appears to be a variety of this species. Helmin- 
ihosporium has been also observed on some wild grasses such as Cynedon, 
Andropogon, Panicum and Eleusine indica. A detailed account of all these 
will be published later on. 
The present paper deals with the species on Zea Mays and Sorghwin vulgare 
(jowar) and gives an account of the growth in culture on different media 
and results of cross-inoculation experiments on other important cereals and 
sugarcane. A brief summary of this has been published in the ‘ Scientific 
Reports of the Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa” 1,2. 
2. Helminthosporium on Zea Mays. (H. turcicum Pass.) 
Helmanthosporvum turcicum Pass. 1s an important fungus parasite of 
maize in Bihar and also occurs in other parts of India wherever this crop exists, 
except in some dry places such as the Punjab; but the damage done is not 
great. It attacks the leaf to a great extent and also, in a less degree, the male 
inflorescence. In severe attacks both the size and out-turn of grain are 
smaller. In the early crop, i.e., before the rains, the disease is very 
rare. In the late crop, the disease is fairly prevalent and nearly every 
plant is attacked to some extent. The lower leaves of old plants and 
those of young plants are easily attacked and the disease is found 
abundantly on them, particularly during heavy rains. In some parts of 
the world a fungus known by the name of H. ineonspicum C. and 
EK. occurs on maize, but as the description agrees nearly with present 
species, it is probably identical with H. twrcicum Pass. Other authors 
(Massee,? Smith, Comes® and Pammel®) consider that these two species are 
the same fungus. 
1 Scientific Reports of the Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, 1919-20, pp. 62-64. 
2 Annual Report, Board of Scientific Advice for India, 1919-20, p. 31. 
8 Massee. G. ‘“ Diseases of Cultivated Plants and Trees,’ 1910, p. 48. 
* Chester and Smith. ‘‘ Notes on Fungus Diseases in Delaware.” Delaware Expt. Stat. 
Bull. 63. 
5 Comes. “ Crittogamia Agraria,” 1891, p. 409. 
* Pammel. King and Bakke. “Two Barley Blights.’’ Bull. Iowa Coll. Stat. 116, 1910. 
