ABSTRACT
Kodo millet, one of the oldest crops of the world, is a draught resistant plant, believed to be originated from Africa and later domesticated in India. Head smut of kodo millet was first reported by D. McAlpine from Queensland, Australia. The diagnostic symptoms of the disease occur at flowering to dough stage of the crop. Diseased plants are stunted in their growth. Pale and straw colored small scattered lesions are formed on the leaf blade. Severely affected plant showed a blighted appearance causing premature drying of leaves from tip to downwards. E. J. Butler and G. R. Bisby were first to record the ergot infection in kodo millet from Burma. The disease manifests only during emergence of panicle. Udbatta disease is very common in kodo millet and foxtail millet. The disease is characterized by the transformation of infected panicles into a compact stick like structure agarbatti; hence, it is named “Udbatta”.
