Infection requires high temperatures and presence of surface moisture. The first symptom of the disease is small circular spots. As they mature they turn dark brown. Rotation and deep burial of stalks will help reduce losses to this fungus. Infected plants are chlorotic, stunted and have striped leaves.
Infected leaves have a downy growth on the underside, toward the basal part.
Potential infection is increased when the crop is grown in soil previously grown to infected sorghum, field corn or sweet corn. Although high populations of spores are produced on the leaf surface, they are short lived and require extended periods of high humidity for infection. Overwintering spores produced between leaf veins exist in the soil for long periods. Practices which hasten the breakdown of crop residue will help reduce the amount of inoculum carried over in the soil. Varieties vary in their reaction to this disease.