Rice false smut fungus (Villosiclava virens) causes smut-like disease on the panicles of rice plants. The disease development process after the booting stage has been revealed by artificial inoculation of the fungus. However, its life cycle and infection route in the field before the booting stage remain unclear. Here, these parameters are studied by referring to previous studies, morphological features of the fungus, and life cycles of phylogenetically related-fungi.
