Question

Rust and Smut diseases are caused by fungi belonging to
A. Ascomycetes
B. Deteromycetes
C. Basidiomycetes
D. Fungi imperfecti

Answer 1

Hint: Fungi are eukaryotic heterotrophic organisms. They can be both unicellular or multicellular. They are neither placed in the animal kingdom nor in the plant kingdom. They can cause diseases like Rust and Smut. Rust and Smut are plant pathogens and they infect living plants.

Complete Answer:
Rust belongs to the order Uredinales and Smut belongs to the order Ustilaginales of Fungi. The rust disease usually requires two hosts to complete its life cycle while Smut requires only one. Rust infects ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants . An example is Wheat plant. Corn is affected by Smuts.

Let us analyse the options to find the correct answer.
- Option A,B, D : These are incorrect options as both Rust and Smut belong to Basidiomycetes.
- Option C: Basidiomycetes is the correct option. Uredinales and Ustilaginales are Basidiomycetes. Rust disease gives a rusty appearance to the plant while the Smut disease gives a black or sooty experience to the plant.
- The rusts consume their nutrients in an intercellular manner while Smuts do it intracellularly. In Rust disease symptoms appear at the Uredospore stage while they occur in Teliospore age in Smuts. Rust and Smut are diseases caused by fungi in plants. They hold a great economic importance due the loss they incur on Cash crops.

Thus , the correct answer is option C) Basidiomycetes.

Note: The difference between rust and smuts is as follows,
- Rust affects the plants and produces a rusty appearance whereas smut infects the plants and produces a sooty and black appearance
- Rusts require one or more than one hosts to complete its life cycle whereas smut requires only one.