Ustilaginomycotina
Quick Summary
The Ustilaginomycotina is a subphylum of fungi that includes smut fungi. These fungi are parasitic on plants in their dikaryotic phase and saprotrophic in their haploid yeast phase.1
The class Ustilaginomycetes within this subphylum contains three orders, including Ustilaginales. The Ustilaginales are known for causing smuts in cereal grains like wheat, barley, corn, and rice. Their spores typically form black, dusty masses called sori. The life cycle involves basidiospores that bud or fuse, leading to infection of the host plant.21
Another class, Exobasidiomycetes, also includes smut fungi and comprises seven orders, such as Exobasidiales and Tilletiales, which are also parasitic on plants.1
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