Onion leaf charring: symptoms, causes, control

Onion leaf smut is a fungal disease that affects onion leaves, causing damage and a negative impact on the crop. This article from the “WORLD OF PLANTS” website discusses how to identify onion leaf smut disease and ways to prevent it.

Causes of onion leaf smut disease

• Disease name: Onion leaf charring
• Scientific name: Urocystis cepulae
• Type of disease: fungal
• Disease family: Urocystidaceae

Onion smut fungus infects the seedling stage, where most infected plants die at 3 to 5 weeks of age. The fungus can also remain dormant in the soil for many years in the form of spores because it has a thick wall that resists unfavorable environmental conditions.

Symptoms of onion leaf smut disease

The initial symptoms of onion smut appear, which usually appear on new leaves in the form of distinctive narrow black lines that intensify later. The leaves are also stunted and distorted, blisters appear on the green leaf tissue, and the leaves may bend downward.

Development cycle of onion leaf smut disease

Onion smut spreads limitedly through contact with diseased seedlings and infected soil, and can be transmitted through contaminated clothing, shoes, and agricultural equipment.

Conditions suitable for the spread of onion leaf smut

Infection increases during wet and cool weather conditions and is most evident in the spring, when the sporangia on the leaf burst and release dark brown spores.

Losses resulting from the spread of onion leaf smut disease

The diseased field often has low production, the fruits are small in size, the leaves are distorted and unmarketable, and most of them die during the seedling stage, causing significant losses in the crop.

Controlling onion leaf smut disease

1. Chemical control: Applying fungicides containing exostrobin, and soil fumigation helps limit the spread of the disease.
2. Organic control: removing infected leaves and disposing of them away from the field.

Preventive measures for onion leaf smut

1. Use disease-resistant varieties.
2. Rotate the onion crop in the infected soil.
3. Sterilize agricultural tools before use.
4. Make sure the seedlings are free of disease before planting them.

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Sources:

Onion smut – government of south australia