What is bunt?

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Bunt, also known as stinking smut, common bunt, covered smut, and ball smut, is a fungal disease affecting wheat, rye, and other grasses. It is caused by Tilletia tritici or T. laevis. Bunt causes normal wheat kernels to be replaced by smut balls containing powdery masses of brownish-black spores, characterized by a dead-fish odor.