Pest and Disease of Maize
Symptoms of banded leaf and sheath blight
Symptoms of bacterial stalk rot
Symptoms
The initial symptom is discoloration of the
leaf sheath and stalk at a node. As the
disease progresses, lesions develop on the
leaves and sheath. Disease then develops in
the stalk and rapidly spreads up the stalk
and into the leaves. As the decay progresses,
a foul odor can be detected and the top of
the plant can be very easily removed from
the rest of the plant. The stalk rots
completely and the top collapses.
Epidemiology
A range of temperature from 25 to 30 oC coupled with
an average relative humidity of 90–100 % is most
suitable for development of BLSB disease in maize.
Similarly, rainfall over 100 mm in the first 2 weeks
favors severe infection and further disease
development. If the relative humidity goes below 70 %,
disease development and spread become very slow.
Disease Symptoms
Symptoms of BLSB are conspicuous and characterized
with presence of peculiar bands on leaf sheath and
sclerotia bodies on affected parts of the plants.
 Pest and Disease of Maize
Symptoms of Southern leaf blight
Symptoms
Southern leaf blight of maize has emerged as a
yield-limiting disease throughout USA and
southern Africa in the last 25 years. Spores,
surviving in the remains of previous crops, are
rain-splashed onto lower leaves causing long
spots, merging on susceptible varieties, to
cause a blight. Stems are weakened and fall
over (lodge) during epidemics. The disease
can be managed by destroying plant debris
after harvest, crop rotation, using more
tolerant varieties and, where economically
justifiable, by fungicides.
Symptoms of banded leaf and sheath blight
Symptoms
The pathogen produces two typical symptoms. 1. On
leaves, initial symptoms include chlorotic streaks on the
upper surfaces associated with white, cottony growth on
the corresponding lower surfaces consisting of
sporangiophores and sporangia. The leaves later turn
brown, necrotic, and finally totally dry. 2. The tassels are
malformed as small, green leaflike structures (called
“crazy top”), which makes the plant unproductive. The
pathogen produces hyaline, upright, short, stout,
branched sporangiophores bearing spherical sporangia.
The disease is spread mainly via airborne sporangia that
require relative humidity >90% for germination.
 Isolations and Purifications of Erwinia chrysanthemi

Pieces of tissue taken from the margin

of healthy and diseased tissues were
disinfected with 70% alcohol

Placed in a sealed tube with sterile water and

tissues were left for 30 min in
suspension so that the bacteria could diffuse
out of the tissues

Stalk rot symptom

Subsequently 100 μl of the suspension was

plated to YDC medium

Purified on by streaking using freshly

growing single colony and these plates were
incubated at 28°C for five days

Bacterial stalk rot ooze Colony of E. chrysanthemi

 In Vitro of Some Chemicals to Inhibit the Growth of
Erwinia chrysanthemi
PDR (%) on
Method Treatment (Chemical)
Isolate
Notte

100 µl of bacterial pathogen

A Copcide 77 wp (1 g/L)
suspension was spread on agar
medium using L-glass. Each
treatment was suspended in filter B Copcide 77 wp (2 g/L)
paper and placed on agar medium
that previously have been spread by C Copcide 77 wp (3 g/L)
bacterial pathogen. Five
concentration of chemicals have D Copcide 77 wp (4 g/L)
been tested for their ability to inhibit
the growth of E. chrysanthemi. E Copcide 77 wp (5 g/L)

F Control

Bacterial
pathogen
Treatment

Observed whether inhibition among

isolates occur or not