Status and assessment of yield losses due to maize leaf blights in foothills of north western Himalayas

Abstract

Periodic survey and isolation of leaf blight infected samples of maize plants revealed the presence of Exserohilum turcicum, Colletotrichum graminicola, Aureobasidium zeae, Cercospora zeae, Physoderma maydis, Rhizoctonia solani, Curvularia lunuta and Alternaria tenuissima as plant pathogens in the disease samples. Maximum disease intensity of 37.3-41.9% was observed in fields of District Udhampur followed by Samba ranging from 29.3-32.1%. However, minimum disease was observed in Kathua district (24.7-26.1%). Assessment of yield loss potential by different pathogens revealed that maximum grain yield loss (60.5%) and stover yield loss (41.35%) was observed in plants infected by Exserohilum turcicum followed by Banded leaf and sheath blight reporting an average grain yield loss of 47.78 per cent coupled with stover yield loss of 24.98 per cent. However, Alternaria leaf blight infected plants registered minimum grain loss yield (7.00%) and minimum stover yield loss of 16.7 per cent.