SURVEY ON DISEASES OF MAIZE FOR PEST RISK ANALYSIS (PRA) IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

A survey was conducted in major 20 maize growing districts of Bangladesh for pest risk analysis of maize. In the survey program, twenty Farmer, two Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer, two Upazila level Officer, one District Level DAE Officials per district were interviewed through pretested questionnaires for collecting data on maize diseases and diseased sample were collected for identifying causal organism. Isolations of causal organism were done in the M.S. laboratory, Department of Plant Pathology, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka. The major and minor diseases were determined by observing the prevalence of diseases in the field and opinion expressed by the farmer. Considering the opinion expressed by the farmers, field level officers and from field observations the 21 identified diseases of maize were seedling blight, stalk rot, root rot, sheath blight, sheath rot, ear rot, bacterial leaf blight, maydis leaf blight, Brown spot, tarcicum leaf blight, gray leaf spot, sugarcane mosaic, downy mildew, maize streak, maize stripe, maize dwarf mosaic, anthracnose, cob rot, store grain rot, cob sheath rot and cob sheath blight. The prevalent major diseases were stalk rot, leaf spot, root rot, cob rot, sheath blight, sheath rot, cob sheath blight, cob sheath rot, leaf blight, bacterial leaf blight, maize dwarf mosaic virus, corn stunt, leaf virus, maize streak virus. Seedling and reproductive stages of maize plant were found more vulnerable to diseases. There was a positive and high degree of relationship among insect pest and disease incidence with weed infestation. The probable sources of maize diseases were seed borne diseases from outside of the country and use of fungicide as the best control measure of diseases. According to the opinion of the participants, proper training on quarantine diseases, improvement of quarantine laboratory and strengthening of quarantine law could be the best way for improvement of quarantine disease situation of maize.