48. Match the name of the diseases with their causal organisms.
Disease                                              Causal Organism
P. Loose smut of wheat                   1. Cercospora personata
Q. Wart disease of potato                2. Alternaria solani
R. Panama disease of banana        3. Synchytrium endobioticum
S. Tikka disease of groundnut       4. Ustilago tritici
5. Fusarium oxysporum
6. Erwinia amylovora
(A) P-6, Q-4, R-3, S-2
(B) P-4, Q-6, R-1, S-3
(C) P-4, Q-3, R-5, S-1
(D) P-2, Q-3, R-2, S-6

The correct matching for these plant diseases and their causal organisms is option (C). This pairing aligns with established plant pathology knowledge for wheat, potato, banana, and groundnut diseases.

Disease-Causal Organism Matches

• P. Loose smut of wheat: Caused by Ustilago tritici (4), a smut fungus that infects seeds systemically, replacing wheat heads with black spore masses.​

• Q. Wart disease of potato: Caused by Synchytrium endobioticum (3), a chytrid fungus producing warty galls on tubers and roots.​

• R. Panama disease of banana: Caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (5), a soilborne fungus leading to vascular wilt and plant death.​

• S. Tikka disease of groundnut: Caused by Cercospora personata (1), a foliar fungus creating dark leaf spots with concentric rings.​

Option Analysis

Option (A) P-6, Q-4, R-3, S-2: Incorrect. Mismatches Loose smut (not Erwinia amylovora, a bacterial fire blight pathogen ), Wart disease (not Ustilago tritici), and Tikka disease (not Alternaria solani, early blight of potato/tomato).​

Option (B) P-6, Q-3, R-1, S-2: Incorrect. Wrongly assigns Erwinia amylovora to Loose smut, Cercospora personata to Panama disease, and Alternaria solani to Tikka disease.

Option (C) P-4, Q-3, R-5, S-1: Correct, as detailed above with precise fungal associations.

Option (D) P-2, Q-3, R-2, S-6: Incorrect. Misplaces Alternaria solani on Loose smut, duplicates it for Panama disease, and assigns Erwinia amylovora to Tikka disease.

Keywords: loose smut wheat ustilago tritici, wart disease potato synchytrium, panama disease banana fusarium, tikka disease groundnut cercospora, plant pathology mcq