AGA332: CROP DISEASES MANAGEMENT

(Lecture 9)
Stephen Mushimwa Chileshe
01 April 2021
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stephenmushimwa@yahoo.com
Maize diseases

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Last time, we discussed issues to do with…
• Seedling diseases
• Grey leaf spot
• Common smut
• Head smut

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Grey leaf spot
• In Africa, GLS has become pandemic.
• The disease became serious in the recent past causing significant (economic)
losses in Zambia. Mkushi and Mpongwe are the known most affected
districts.
• A distinguishing feature of GLS is that lesions typically run parallel with leaf
veins.
• Further lesion expansion results in the coalescing of lesions and the blighting
of entire leaves.
• Losses associated with GLS occur when photosynthetic tissue is rendered
nonfunctional due to lesions and/or the blighting of entire leaves.
• GLS is caused by the fungus called Pyricularia grisea
• GLS (Cercospora zeae-maydis) is known to infect only maize.
• The components of yield most affected are; (i) number of kernels per ear, and
(ii) kernel size
• Losses of up to 65% have been recorded. 4
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Maize lethal necrosis disease (MLND)
Background
• The disease was first identified in the USA in 1976 (Niblett
and Claflin 1978).
• In 2011, it was first recorded in Kenya, East Africa. With
suggestions that the disease had been there for
sometime.
• We are yet to have an officially reported case in Zambia.

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MLND
Causes
Results from a combination of two viruses; the
Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) & any of
the cereal viruses in the Potyviridae group, like
Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), Maize dwarf
mosaic virus (MDMV), or Wheat streak mosaic
virus (WSMV).
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MLND
Spread
• MLND is mainly spread by a vector, transmitting the
disease from plant to plant and field to field.
• Common vectors include;
 maize thrips
 rootworms
 leaf beetles.
• Hot spots appear to be places where maize is grown
continuously. 8
MLND

Maize plants are susceptible to

MLND at all stages in their
growth, from seedling to
maturity
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MLND
Symptoms
• All maize varieties at every stage appear to be
susceptible to the disease.
• The symptoms include:
 Dying leaf margins that progresses to mid-rib and
eventually the whole leaf (leading to premature plant death).
 Failure to tassel and sterility in male plants.
 Malformed or no ears.
 Rotting cob. 10
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MLND
Crop losses

• Infection rates and damage can be very high,

seriously affecting yields and sometimes causing
complete loss of the crop (Adams et al.
2012;Wangai et al. 2012).

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 MLND

Control measures
The disease is difficult to control for two reasons:
1. It is caused by a combination of two viruses that
are difficult to differentiate individually based on
visual symptoms.
2. The insects that transmit the disease-causing
viruses may be carried by wind over long distances.
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MLND
Control measures
• use of resistant varieties
• controlling weeds/alternate hosts
• keeping unnecessary machines/people out of the field
• controlling insect-vectors using appropriate insecticides
(at weekly intervals)
• having adequate isolation from MLND-infected fields, can
help prevent the spread of the disease.
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 Disposal of MNLD affected plants
If a farm is affected by MNLD, how should the farmers
dispose their waste to avoid spread?
 In the short-term farmers are advised to:
 Uproot and remove affected plants
 Avoid growing maize in consecutive seasons, opting for
crop rotation or grow alternative crops
 Be aware of specific season and planting time to avoid
spreading of the disease
 Apply good agronomic practices
 Chemical spraying of vector under specific circumstances
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 Disposal of MNLD affected plants
 In the long-term both technical and programmatic interventions
are required for more sustainable solutions.
 Technical interventions:
o Investment in promotion of good agricultural practices
o Breeding of resistant or tolerant seeds
 Programmatic interventions:
o Regional dialogue for coherent responses and regulations with a
role for private sector & other stakeholders
o Expansion of markets for alternative crops and diversification of
food habits
o Effective and efficient surveillance systems need to be set up
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https://repository.cimmyt.org/bitstream/handle/10883/21239/63188.pdf?sequence=1
Northern Leaf Blight (Helminthosporium
turcicum)
• occurs worldwide and particularly in areas where
high humidity and moderate temperatures (15 –
30oC prevail during the growing season)
• If infection occurs prior to and at silking and
conditions are optimum, it may cause significant
economic damage.

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Northern Leaf Blight
Symptoms
• Slightly oval, water-soaked, small spots produced on the
leaves.
• These grow into elongated, spindle-shaped necrotic
lesions.
• They may appear first on lower leaves and increase in
number as the plant develops, and can lead to complete
burning of the foliage.
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Northern Leaf Blight
Symptoms
• Lesions may vary slightly depending on the resistance
status of the host.
• Lesion development on some hybrids with resistance
genes may include long, chlorotic streaks that can be
confused with other diseases such as Stewart’s Wilt.
• The identity of E. turcicum can be confirmed by
microscopic examination of conidia, which are produced
profusely within mature lesions.
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Northern Leaf Blight
Control
Use resistant varieties (host resistance).
Cultural practices (crop rotation, field
sanitation)
Apply fungicides when lesions first become
visible on lower leaves (use chlorothalonil or
mancozeb).
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