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Fungi

Fungi in the Environment

What are rusts and smuts, and what effect do they produce in crops?

Rusts and smuts are very small fungi responsible for many serious plant diseases. Cereals and other grains are highly susceptible to attack by rusts and smuts. Many rusts and smuts have complicated life cycles, as they are known to use more than one plant species as a host during their lifetime. For example, wheat rust spends a portion of its life in barberry plants and a portion in wheat plants.