Abstract

Rabiu Ibrahim, Sayyu Kaita Danja and Moussa Murtala Umar

One hundred and four sorghum genotypes were screened under field conditions for loose smut using the hypodermic stem injection artificial inoculation method and laid on a randomized complete block design with two replications. Results showed that, of the 104 sorghum genotypes screened for loose smuts, there was marked reduction in growth parameters in 26 (diseased) plants compared to healthy or non- infected (78) plants. Similarly, number of day to 50% heading as well as grain yield/hectare were significantly (P0.05) affected even among the diseased plants. The present study have confirmed the fact that in loose smut, plants showing symptoms usually matured earlier and produced less grain yield but did not confirm the hypothesis that the affected plant flowers earlier than the healthy ones