bunt

A covered *smut disease of wheat, sometimes called stinking smut because of the smell of rotten fish given off by the spore masses. The disease is caused by Tilletia caries. Dwarf bunt of wheat is caused by T. contraversa. Infected grains are transformed into balls of bunt spores. At threshing the spores are released and contaminate healthy seed as well as the combine harvester and grain-handling machinery. Contaminated seed in turn gives rise to more infected plants.