When grown in the lab on very simple media, it behaves like baker's yeast, forming single cells called sporidia.
These cells multiply by budding off daughter cells.
When two compatible sporidia meet on the surface of the plant, they switch to a different mode of growth.
First, they send out conjugation tubes to find each other, after which they fuse and make a hypha to enter the maize plant.
Hyphae growing in the plant are dikaryotic; they possess two haploid nuclei per hyphal compartment.
In contrast to sporidia, the dikaryotic phase of U. maydis requires infection of the plant to grow and differentiate, and cannot be maintained in the laboratory.

Proliferation of the fungus inside the plant leads to disease symptoms such as chlorosis, anthocyanin formation, reduced growth, and the appearance of tumors harboring the developing teliospores.

Mature spores are released from the tumors and spread by rain and wind.
Under appropriate conditions, a metabasidium is formed in which meiosis occurs.
Resulting haploid nuclei migrate into elongated single cells.
These cells detach from the metabasidium to become the sporidia, thus completing the life cycle.
When grown in the lab on very simple media, it behaves like baker's yeast, forming single cells called sporidia. These cells multiply by budding off daughter cells. When two compatible sporidia meet on the surface of the plant, they switch to a different mode of growth. First, they send out conjugation tubes to find each other, after which they fuse and make a hypha to enter the maize plant. Hyphae growing in the plant are dikaryotic; they possess two haploid nuclei per hyphal compartment. In contrast to sporidia, the dikaryotic phase of U. maydis requires infection of the plant to grow and differentiate, and cannot be maintained in the laboratory.
Proliferation of the fungus inside the plant leads to disease symptoms such as chlorosis, anthocyanin formation, reduced growth, and the appearance of tumors harboring the developing teliospores.
Mature spores are released from the tumors and spread by rain and wind. Under appropriate conditions, a metabasidium is formed in which meiosis occurs. Resulting haploid nuclei migrate into elongated single cells. These cells detach from the metabasidium to become the sporidia, thus completing the life cycle.
Corn smut