SORGHUM SMUTS AND VARIETAL RESISTANCE 3 
the quality of smut resistance with desirable agronomic characters. 
Although covered kernel smut can be controlled by seed treatment, 
the methods involve considerable labor and expense. Head smut 
can not be controlled by seed treatment, but development of resistant 
varieties offers a possible solution of the problems presented. 
COVERED KERNEL SMUT 
The covered kernel smut, Sph-acelotlteca sorglii (Link) Clinton, was 
first described in 1825 from a specimen collected in Egypt by Link 
(68, p. 86), who called it Sorisporium sorglii. In 1846 Tulasne (112) 
transferred the fungus to the genus Tilletia as Tilletia sorgM-vulgaris 
Tul. Passerini (82) in 1873 described the same fungus under the 
name Ustilago sorglii Pass. Kuhn (60) in 1874 determined from a 
study of the germination of the spores that the fungus properly 
belonged in the genus Ustilago instead of Tilletia and applied the 
name Ustilago tulasnei Kuhn. Brefeld (13, p. 31-33) seems to have 
regarded U. sorglii Pass., and U. tulasnei Kiihn as two different 
species, but this distinction has not been accepted generally. Clinton 
(22) in 1897, from a study of its mode of spore formation, transferred 
it to Cintractia as Cintractia sorglii-vulgaris (Tul.) Clinton, but in 
1902 he (24) concluded that the fungus belonged more properly in 
the genus Sphacelotheca and named it Sphacelotheca sorglii (Link) 
Clinton. 
The covered kernel smut unquestionably is the most widely dis- 
tributed and destructive smut which attacks the sorghums and is 
probably to be found wherever sorghums are grown. Barber (8), 
Kulkarni (63), and Butler (21) record its prevalence in various parts 
of India. It is a destructive disease in Madras Presidency, Bombay 
Presidency, the Central Provinces, and Burma and also is present 
in the northern parts of India, as in Dehra Dun. Kulkarni states 
that this smut is much more prevalent in the varieties of the kharif 
crop than in those of the rabi crop. The kharif varieties constitute 
the monsoon crop, which is sown in June and July and harvested in 
October and November. It is grown during the wet season and 
consists largely of varieties of durra. The rabi, or winter crop, is sown 
in September and October and harvested in February and March. 
The rabi crop seems to consist very largely of varieties of shallu. 
Ball (5) states that practically all seed lots of Chinese kaoliangs 
imported into the United States were contaminated with the spores 
of this smut, indicating its general prevalence in those parts of 
China where kaoliangs are grown. Thomas (109) and Bubak (17) 
have noted its occurrence in Mesopotamia, Briton-Jones (14) in 
Egypt, Busse (20) in Tanganyika Territory (formerly German East 
Africa), Snowden (105) in Uganda, Patouillard (84, 85) in Tunis, 
Evans (36) in South Africa, especially on kafirs, McAlpine (70) in 
Australia on broomcorn, Amber sorgo, and another sweet sorghum, 
and Hauman-Merck (44) and Hauman and Parodi (4-5) in Argentina. 
It has been commonly mentioned in published lists of smuts in 
Europe, as by Winter (120) in Germany, Schroeter (104) in Silesia, 
Lind (66) in Denmark, Lindau (67) in the mark of Brandenburg, 
Potebnia (88) in Russia, Bubak (18) in Bohemia, MalkofT (72) in Bul- 
garia, Prillieux (93) in France, Fragoso (39) in Spain, and Turconi 
(113) in Italy. 
