Sorghum Diseases in India

Even so, certain diseases have been cited or
reported as suspect on the basis of climatic and
agricultural particularities of the region. Below
is a brief discussion of some of the current and
potential disease problems.
Fungal Diseases
The majority of diseases occurring on sorghum
in southern France are of fungal origin (Table 1).
Table 1. Potential importance of sorghum diseases
in the sorghum-growing regions of
Europe.
Potential
Disease importance 1
Fungal
Seedling +
Grain mold and head blight +
Head smut +
Foliar -
Stalk rots +
Viral
MDMV +
Bacterial -
1. (+) = potentially important, (-) = not potentially
important.
Seedling Disease
Poor stand establishment constitutes a major
problem for European farmers. The development
of cultivars which emerge and grow well
in cool, wet soils is one of the primary concerns
of sorghum improvement programs in France.
To date, low percentage emergence and reduced
seedling vigor have been attributed to low soil
temperatures for extended periods after sowing.
Poor stand establishment has also been a
problem in the northern USA and Canada, restricting
the area where the crop can be produced.
As in Europe/the condition has generally
been attributed to low soil temperatures. Recent
studies, however, have implicated seedling dis-
90
ease as a contributing factor of potential importance
(Gaudet and Major 1986). Based on this
North America research, one could easily suspect
that seedling disease is involved with stand
establishment problems occurring in Europe.
Grain mold
At least two studies on grain mold of sorghum
in France have been reported (Sifaw 1978; Ruiz
1979). Both are basically grain mycofloral inventories
and provide little indication of the importance
of grain mold in the region. Nonetheless,
these studies demonstrate an awareness of concern
for grain mold by sorghum scientists in
France. These studies were perhaps initiated by
seed production. It does not appear that grain
mold poses a threat to farmers in the Mediterranean
area, but can be considered a potential constraint
to seed production.
Head blight
At a recent meeting of sorghum workers held in
southwestern France, several participants expressed
concern over a panicle disorder referred
to as "Fusariosis." From the descriptions given,
the disorder appears to resemble head blight
(Castor and Frederiksen 1981), but the causal
role of Fusarium moniliforme has not been confirmed.
Differences in susceptibility among cultivars
have been noted. This disorder is
apparently increasing in incidence and may
warrant closer examination.
Head smut
Head smut is not now a problem on sorghum in
Europe. The disease was on the increase in the
late 1970s and early 1980s, but is now controlled
by the use of resistant hybrids. Head smut occurs
regularly on maize in the Mediterranean
area, but apparently with little economic significance.
Stalk rots and wilts
There is little information on stalk rots of sorghum
in Europe, yet this is one group of dis-