Scab and mildew are fungal diseases of plants. The affected plants were named because they showed signs of rust and rust. Although both are fungal diseases, the symptoms mostly distinguish them.
In addition, it is important to know about these fungal diseases because they affect a wide variety of plants including valuable crops. Read on to learn about the differences between the two fungal plant pathogens.
Difference Between Rust and Smut
| Rust | Smut |
| Description | |
| Rust is a group of fungal diseases that affect plants. The name “rust” is given because the affected plants have a characteristic “rusty” appearance | Smut is another group of fungal diseases that affects plants, especially grasses. The name “smut” is given due to the sooty, black appearance in affected plants |
| Stage at which Characteristic Symptoms Appear | |
| Uredospore stage | Teliospore Stage |
| Host Dependency | |
| Can be either Heteroecious (fungi requires two unrealed hosts to complete its life cycle) or Autoecious | Autoecious (all the stages of the fungal life cycle occur on the same host) |
| Nutrition | |
| Intercellular – using haustoria | Can either by intercellular (by means of haustoria) or intracellular |
| Clamp Connection | |
| Present, but quite rare | Clamp connections are quite common |
| Spores – Kind | |
| Produces up to five kinds of spores – aeciospores, teliospore, pycniospores, basidiospores and uredospores | Produces only one kind of spore- smut spores (equivalent to teliospores) |
| Spores – Development | |
| The terminal cells of the mycelium give rise to teliospore | Intercalary cells give rise to smut spores |
| Spore – Characteristics | |
| Teliospores are stalked, two-celled, with each cell binucleated | Smut spores can either be uninucleated or binucleated. |
Scab and scab are fungal diseases found on plants. They are obligate plant pathogens. Rust is a fungal disease that causes affected plants to appear rusty yellow, while smut is a fungal disease that causes affected plants to appear dusty and black and this summarizes the difference between rust and rust.
