Peronosclerospora maydis found on maize, sweetcorn and plume sorghum in Far North Queensland

Abstract

Symptoms of a downy mildew disease were recognized on maize growing in the Atherton Tableland and Lakeland Downs areas of Far North Queensland in 1985. Quarantine measures were invoked to prevent the spread of this potentially serious disease to other parts of Australia.The pathogen was identified as Peronosclerospora maydis in 1986 following examination of conidiophores with conidia and host range studies. An alternative host was strongly suspected and a survey near fields where the disease had been prevalent led to the identification of P. maydis on Sorghum plumosum, a grass indigenous to northern Australia. All downy mildew outbreaks on maize and sweetcorn in northern Australia since 1970 have been in areas where S. plumosum occurs. It seems likely that P. maydis has been present in Australia for many years.