Prevalence and Intensity of Economically Important Fungal Diseases of Sorghum in South Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

Prouction and productivity of sorghum is highly threatened by different diseases in South Tigray, Ethiopia. However, the importance of each disease has not been assessed and well profiled to sound management strategy. To determine the occurrence and intensity of diseases survey was carried out in two major sorghum growing districts of South Tigray in 2014 cropping season. Results indicated that 93.7%, 84.8%, 88.6%, 37% and 58% of sorghum fields were infected by anthracnose, leaf blight, long smut, head and loose smuts, and downy mildew, respectively. This indicated that sorghum is suffered from complexes of diseases. The incidence and severity of the former diseases were 69.9% and 53.01%, 55.9% and 38.7%, 23% and 77.2%, 1.9% and 71.7%, and 43.6% and 41%, respectively. Most of the cultivated farmers’ cultivars sown were susceptible at least to one disease putting large area of sorghum production at threat. Therefore, holistic and cumulative integrated approach is required to manage the complex diseases in the surveyed areas.