Pennisetum spp.
pearl millet
2 Related Pests
Bipolaris sacchari
fungus
Drechslera sacchari, Helminthosporium sacchari, Cercospora sacchari,
Worldwide, primarily in tropic and subtropic regions
AL, FL, GA, HI, LA, MD
Korea
2025-12-23
Bipolaris sacchari is a foliar fungal pathogen that causes eyespot disease, primarily in sugarcane. The pathogen survives in infected plant debris and produces airborne conidia that are dispersed by wind and rain, with disease development favored by warm, humid conditions. It is generally considered of low to moderate economic importance.
Main: sugarcane; Other: wheat, corn
No
DRECSA-3, CABI CPC, RICH ISTA
Although Ingle and Raut (DRESCA-3) claim to have isolated Bipolaris sacchari from millet seed in India, and Richardson (DRESCA-8) cites one study from 1954, there are no other references indicating that this fungus is a pathogen of millet in nature or is found on seed. It is unknown whether these seeds were cleaned or conditioned as a seed crop. This pathogen is of low economic importance.
DRECSA-3, CABI CPC, RICH ISTA
Ingle RW; Raut JG, 1993. Fungi associated with glume and seed in pearl millet at different seed development stages. Seed Research, 21:131-132
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
Richardson, MJ. 1990. An Annotated List of Seedborne Diseases. International Seed Testing Association, Zurich Switzerland.
Moesziomyces bullatus
fungus
Sorosporium bullatum,Tolypoderma bullata, Tolyposporium bullatum, Tolyposporium evernium, Moesziomyces evernius, Tolyposporium minus, Tolyposporium paspali, Tolyposporium penicillariae, Moesziomyces penicillariae, Tolyposporium senegalense, Sorosporium senegalense, Ustilago verrucosa
Africa: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe; Asia: China, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Yemen; Europe: Germany, Poland, Romania; North America: USA; Oceania: Australia.
Northeast, Midwest, CA
Korea
2025-12-23
Korea lists this pathogen as Tolyposporidium penicillariae. Pearl millet most common host and seed pathway has been verified for only pearl millet.
Main: millet
Yes
MOESBU-4, MOESBU-5, MOESBU-6, MOESBU-7, MOESBU-8
Spores may be transmitted to soil by planting seed infested with teliospore balls. The pathogen is not internally seedborne. Sori are primarily associated with seed lots and replace seeds in spikes. Varieties with male sterile cytoplasma are more susceptible.
MOESBU-4, MOESBU-5, MOESBU-6, MOESBU-7, MOESBU-8
Visual examination
MOESBU-3, MOESBU-4, MOESBU-5, MOESBU-6, CABI CPC
This test has not been validated or standardized.
Chemical, cultural
CABI CPC
Seed treatments have not been effective; however, cleaning seed lots and resistant varieties is most effective.
Wells HD, Burton GW and Ourecky DK, 1963. Tolyposporium smut, a new disease on pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum, in the United States. Plant Disease Reporter, 47:16-19
Rai KN and Thakur RP, 1996. Smut reaction of pearl millet hybrids affected by fertility restoration and genetic resistance of parental lines. Euphytica, 90:31-37
Yadav MS and Duhan JC, 2000. Health status of pearl millet seeds of different government agencies in Haryana. Seed Research, 28:104-105
Diagne-Leye, G., Sare, I. C., Martinez, Y., Fall-Ndiaye, M. A., Sabbagh, S. K., Ba, A. T., & Roux, C. P. (2013). The life cycle of the smut fungus Moesziomyces penicillariae is adapted to the short-cycle of the host, Pennisetum glaucum. Fungal biology, 117(5), 311-318.
Das, I. K., Nagaraja, A., & Tonapi, V. A. (2016). Diseases of millets. Indian Farming, 41.
Chahal SS, Thakur RP, and Mathur SB, 1994. Seed-borne diseases and seed health testing of pearl millet. Copenhagen, Denmark: Danish Government Institute of Seed Pathology for Developing Countries, 72 pp
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
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