A Survey to Assess Banded Leaf and Sheath Blight Disease Severity in Major Maize Growing Areas of Andhra Pradesh, India

Rhizoctonia solanif.sp. sasakii, the causal agent of maize banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB) disease, is the most destructive soil borne pathogen capable of infecting maize at all growth stages starting from seedling to maturity. To estimate the severity of BLSB an extensive roving survey was conducted during rabi, 2018 in major maize growing areas of Andhra Pradesh i.e., West Godavari, East Godavari, Vizianagaram, Guntur and Kurnool to record the severity index of disease. The disease occurs all over the state with maximum disease severity recorded in West Godavari district (61.35%) followed by East Godavari (58.05%), Vizianagaram (46.87%) and Guntur (25.85%) while the least PDI was recorded in Kurnool district (23.02 %). Disease symptoms were noticed during the survey under field conditions.