Re: corn smut/popcorn disease in mulberries

**"Doreen Howard" d*@ticon.net**

That's interesting, Lucky.  It sounds like the same weather conditions
spawned the two different fungal infestations.  I had often wondered about
that--this happened in 1986.  The county extension agent was totally
baffled, and he went with my guess of smut.  It's good to have this
knowledge.

BTW, for those of you on GWL, Lucky Pittman is an accomplished plantsman,
among his other talents including veterinary medicine.  He has never
introduced himself, so I will!
Doreen Howard

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lucky Pittman" <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>
To: <gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 12:12 PM
Subject: [GWL] corn smut/popcorn disease in mulberries

> At 12:00 PM 09/10/2002 -0400, Doreen wrote:
> When I was a newspaper editor, an old fellow brought me corn he swore grew
> >in trees.  He said his mulberry trees had crossed with the corn in the
> >adjacent field.  What he has was smut.  The birds carried the spores into
> >the trees as they were fruiting.  I went out to the corn field and showed
> >the man that much of the corn was infected with smut due to unusually
hot,
> >humid weather.  My point is that you should do some investigating on your
> >own.
> Doreen,
> What you've described sounds like "Popcorn Disease" of mulberries, a
fungal
> infection reminiscent of corn smut, but caused by a different fungus,
> Ciboria carunculoides.  To my knowledge it only affects M.alba and some of
> the M.albaXrubra hybrids.
>
> For photos, and more description of Popcorn Disease, check out the website
> below:
> http://www.apsnet.org/online/Archive/2002/1W000018.asp
>
>
>
>
>
> Lucky Pittman
> USDA Zone 6
> Hopkinsville, KY
>
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