Leaf Blight Of Maize Research Articles

Baseline Sensitivity and Toxicity Mechanisms of Prochloraz to Alternaria alternata Strains Associated with Maize Leaf Blight in Heilongjiang Province in China.

Alternaria species are fungal pathogens that can infect maize, causing leaf blight disease and significant economic losses. This study aimed to determine the baseline sensitivity to prochloraz of A. alternata isolates obtained from diseased maize leaves collected from Heilongjiang Province by assessing the half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values. The EC50 values of prochloraz ranged from 0.0550 to 2.3258 μg/ml, with an average of 0.9995 ± 0.5192 μg/ml. At EC50 (1.2495 μg/ml) and 2EC50 (2.4990 μg/ml), prochloraz increased the number of mycelial offshoots, disrupted the cell membrane integrity of conidia and mycelia, and resulted in a reduced ergosterol content in the mycelia. Prochloraz significantly affected the mycelial cell membrane permeability and increased the malondialdehyde content and superoxide dismutase activity. No cross-resistance was detected between prochloraz and other fungicides. These data demonstrate that prochloraz is a promising fungicide for managing maize leaf blight caused by A. alternata and provide novel insights into understanding the mechanism of prochloraz toxicity against A. alternata isolates.

Experimental evaluation of effectiveness of genomic selection for resistance to northern corn leaf blight in maize.

Northern corn leaf blight (NLB) caused by Setosphaeria turcica (Luttrell) Leonard & Suggs is a severe foliar disease in maize. Resistance to NLB is complexly inherited and controlled by several quantitative trait loci (QTL) distributed across the genome. Phenotype and DNA marker-based selection for resistance to NLB is expected to be effective. Hence, an investigation was carried out to predict the genetic value of selection candidates for resistance to NLB and compare the accuracies of genomic prediction in two F2:3 populations of two crosses (CM212 × MAI172; CM202 × SKV50) derived from contrasting parents. Linkage analysis using 297 polymorphic SNPs in population-1 and 290 polymorphic SNPs in population-2 revealed ten linkage groups spanning 3623.88cM and 4261.92cM with an average distance of 12.40cM and 14.9cM in population-1 and population-2, respectively. Location-wise and pooled data across locations identified common QTLs on linkage groups 1 and 6 in population-1 and 3 and 8 in population-2. The prediction accuracy of the QTL mapping (9.92 and 9.10 for population-1 and population-2, respectively) was based on only a few markers, which explained higher percent phenotypic variation. The prediction accuracies of the genomic estimated breeding values in the present investigation were relatively low in population-1 (0.24 to 0.26) and population-2 (0.29-0.32) compared to the expected accuracies. This could be due to fewer polymorphic markers and a small training/population size. Though the GS prediction accuracies were relatively low, they were significantly higher than QTL mapping, which promises better genetic gain per cycle. The resistant progenies from both populations were advanced to derive inbred lines and crossed with four different testers in line × tester mating design to test for their combining ability and effectiveness of genomic selection. High overall general combining ability was exhibited by 21 inbred lines. Among F1s, 48% were assigned high overall specific combining ability status. Out of the 136 single crosses, seven recorded significant positive standard heterosis over the best check for grain yield. Twenty-five inbreds with high GEBVs were crossed with four testers to obtain 100 F1s and evaluated for their response to NLB. The majority of hybrids displayed moderate to resistant reaction to NLB either in combination with susceptible or resistant testers indicating the effectiveness of selection based on high GEBVs.

Isolation and Characterization of Pathogen causing Northern Corn Leaf Blight of Maize in Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya, India

The present study was carried out to identify and characterize the Exserohilum turcicum causing northern corn leaf blight of maize based on the cultural, morphological and molecular characteristics. Diseased leaf samples from maize fields exhibiting typical cigar shaped symptoms of northern corn leaf blight were collected from the research fields of CPGS-AS (Umiam), College of Agriculture (Kyrdemkulai) and ICAR-RC for NEH region (Umiam) located in Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. Through cultural, morphological, molecular characterization the fungal isolate was identified as Exserohilum sp. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS rDNA gene sequence indicates as Exserohilum turcicum is associated with the disease northern corn leaf blight of maize. The findings underscore the importance of pathogen Exserohilum turcicum causing northern corn leaf blight impact on the maize crop, highlighting potential threat to its production.

Dynamic trends in maize diseases and pests across six regions in China over two decades

Maize production faces persistent threats from maize diseases and pests (MDPs) throughout its growth cycle, posing substantial risks to food security. However, understanding the spatio-temporal dynamics of MDPs occurrences on a regional scale has remained elusive due to a lack of continuous observation data. This study curated a comprehensive dataset spanning two decades, from 1999 to 2018, across six key maize planting regions in China [Spring sown area in Northern China (1-NC), Summer sown region in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (2-HHP), Southwest Mountain Maize Region (3-SM), Southern Hilly Maize Region (4-SH), Northwest Irrigated Maize Region (5-NI), and Maize Region in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (6-QTP)]. The average extent of MDP occurrence in 1-NC and 2-HHP exceeded that in other regions over the two-decade period. Furthermore, the occurrence of MDPs exhibited a substantial increase in 1-NC, 2-HHP, 3-SM, 4-SH, and 5-NI over the same period. Meanwhile, the average occurrence intensity of MDPs in 2-HHP surpassed that in other regions. Notably, maize leaf blight and the Asian maize borer emerged as predominant diseases and pests in 1-NC, 2-HHP, 3-SM, 4-SH, and 5-NI. A bivariate trend analyses highlighted a notable increase in the species count for both the extent and intensity of MDP occurrences, including double-spotted leaf beetle in 1-NC, and cotton bollworm in 2-HHP. This extensive, long-term analysis offers a foundation for devising comprehensive strategies for MDP control on a national scale, enabling the formulation of tailored forecasting and control measures across six planting regions.

First report of maize leaf blight disease caused by Pantoea stewartii subsp indologenes in Kerman Province, Iran

In 2020, a newly emerged leaf blight disease on maize crops was observed in the Kerman province of Iran. Further surveys during 2020–2022 revealed that SC704, Hector, and PL711 were the most affected maize cultivars, with 2–10% disease incidence. Yellow-pigmented colonies were isolated from symptomatic plants on nutrient agar, and Koch's postulates were fulfilled. The causative agent was determined to be Pantoea stewartii subsp indologenes based on phenotypic testing, nucleotide sequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, and step-down PCR tests using P. stewartii subspecies-specific primer sets.

Identification of resistant donors for turcicum leaf blight disease of maize among cold tolerant temperate germplasm

Turcicum leaf blight disease of maize is the major biotic factor limiting maize production under temperate agro-climatic conditions of Kashmir. Deployment of disease resistant cultivars is the most effective, ecofriendly and cost-efficient disease management option under these conditions where chemical control of maize diseases is not adopted. In the present study, temperate maize germplasm was evaluated against Exherohilum turcicum causing turcicum leaf blight of maize. Among the evaluated maize genotypes some early maturing cold tolerant inbred lines registered high level of resistance (HR) with disease score 1 in 1 to 9 evaluation scale which can be used profitably in resistance breeding programme for the development of high yielding maize varieties resistant to turcicum leaf blight.

StRAB4 gene is required for filamentous growth, conidial development, and pathogenicity in Setosphaeria turcica.

Setosphaeria turcica, the fungal pathogen responsible for northern corn leaf blight in maize, forms specialized infectious structures called appressoria that are critical for fungal penetration of maize epidermal cells. The Rab family of proteins play a crucial role in the growth, development, and pathogenesis of many eukaryotic species. Rab4, in particular, is a key regulator of endocytosis and vesicle trafficking, essential for filamentous growth and successful infection by other fungal pathogens. In this study, we silenced StRAB4 in S. turcica to gain a better understanding the function of Rab4 in this plant pathogen. Phenotypically, the mutants exhibited a reduced growth rate, a significant decline in conidia production, and an abnormal conidial morphology. These phenotypes indicate that StRab4 plays an instrumental role in regulating mycelial growth and conidial development in S. turcica. Further investigations revealed that StRab4 is a positive regulator of cell wall integrity and melanin secretion. Functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes highlighted primary enrichments in peroxisome pathways, oxidoreductase and catalytic activities, membrane components, and cell wall organization processes. Collectively, our findings emphasize the significant role of StRab4 in S. turcica infection and pathogenicity in maize and provide valuable insights into fungal behavior and disease mechanisms.

A high level of genetic divergence between Exserohilum turcicum populations from maize and sorghum in Henan province of China revealed by SSR markers

AbstractExserohilum turcicum is the causative agent of northern leaf blight of maize and sorghum. Although host specificity of E. turcicum has been observed from isolates collected from maize and sorghum, limited molecular evidence has been presented so far for the formation of formae speciales. In this study, 15 simple‐sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to study genetic diversity and population structure of 60 E. turcicum isolates from maize and sorghum in Henan province of China. A total of 54 haplotypes were identified from all isolates, in which 29 haplotypes were unique to the maize population and 25 were unique to the sorghum population. The phylogenetic tree showed that 60 isolates were clustered into two genetic groups; Group I consisted of 30 isolates from sorghum and Group II consisted of 30 isolates from maize. The formation of two groups was also supported by the result of principal component analysis. The analysis of population structure indicated that the main source of genetic compositions was completely different between the maize and sorghum populations. The fixation index (FST) and gene flow (Nm) between the two populations were 0.184 and 1.111, respectively. The analysis of molecular variance demonstrated that 27% and 73% of the total variation were distributed between and within the two populations, respectively. These findings reveal a high level of genetic divergence between E. turcicum populations associated with maize and sorghum and advance our understanding of the molecular basis underlying host specificity of E. turcicum.

EVALUATION OF FUNGICIDES AGAINST TURCIUM LEAF BLIGHT OF MAIZE CAUSED BY EXSEROHILUM TURCICUM

Northern Leaf Blight of Maize (NLBM) is a serious disease of Maize crop in Pakistan. The disease causes heavy losses in maize crop every year. To avoid this loss, a research experiment was conducted to check the efficacy of four fungicides and one control against Turcicum Leaf Blight of maize. The experiment was tested against the maize variety Malka-2016. The trial was conducted at Research Area of Plant Pathology Research Institute, Faisalabad, from 2021 to 22. The result of experiment showed that DithaneM-45 (Mancozeb), Tilt 25%EC (propiconazole), Score 25% EC (Difenaconazole), and Topsin-M70%WP (Thiophenate Methyl) significantly reduced the northern leaf blight disease of Maize and increase the yield. Dithane M45(Mancozeb) controlled the disease by 86% over control ,followed by Tilt (Propiconazole) by 79%, Score (Difenaconazole) by 71 %, and the least effective fungicide was Topsin-M 70% WP (Thiophenate Methyal) which control the disease by 68%.

A large‐scale survey reveals agro‐ecological factors influence spatio‐temporal distribution and epidemics of maize leaf blight: Implications for prioritizing sustainable management options

AbstractIntroductionProductivity of maize (Zea mays L.) is predominantly constrained by diseases, weeds, and insect pests. The northern leaf blight (NLB) disease, caused by Exserohilum turcicum, inflicts significant maize yield losses in the tropics and humid tropics, including Ethiopia. A large‐scale field survey was conducted to assess the spatio‐temporal distribution of maize NLB in southern Ethiopia, and to determine the association of maize farming practices and agro‐ecological factors with NLB epidemics during 2016–2019.Materials and MethodsA total of 814 maize farms were assessed in 12 major maize‐producing districts. During the assessment, data related to the disease, crop, farming practices and agro‐ecological factors were collected. The associations of disease severity with independent factors were determined using the ordinal logistic regression model.ResultsThe results showed that all studied districts and zones recorded high (≥85%) NLB prevalence over the 4 years, and the disease continues to be a major threat to maize production. Variable disease severity was recorded across districts/zones during the study periods. The highest (75.45%) mean severity was recorded from Boreda, followed by Konso (75.36%), Bonke (71.61%) and Derashe (71.30%), while Mihirab Abaya (33.25%) and Arba Minch (38.285%) districts recorded the lowest mean severity. In the multiple regression model, zone, altitude, cropping year, land preparation, NPS fertilization, weeding practice, growth stage and cropping system were highly significantly (p < 0.0001) associated with disease severity.ConclusionMaize cultivation at an altitude of ≤1500 m with intermediate to good weeding practices, recommended NPS (51–100 kg ha–1) fertilization, mixed‐ and intercropping systems, sparse plant (≤20 plants m‒2) population, and vegetative to blistering growth stages had significant relationships with low (≤25, 26%–50%) disease severity, and can be considered as management options to reduce NLB pressure and yield losses to sustainably ensure maize production and productivity.

Biocontrol Potential of Trichoderma asperellum Strain 576 against Exserohilum turcicum in Zea mays.

Maize is a crucial cereal crop in China, serving both as a staple food and an essential industrial resource. Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) is a disease of corn caused by a fungus, Exserohilum turcicum (sexual stage Setosphaeria turcica). This study aimed to assess the biocontrol potential of various Trichoderma strains against Exserohilum turcicum 101 in Jilin, China. Through dual culture tests, the Trichoderma strains were categorized into four groups based on their antagonistic abilities. Eleven Trichoderma strains exhibited strong antagonistic behavior, with comparable or faster growth rates than E. turcicum 101. Microscopic observations confirmed that T. asperellum 576 hyphae effectively encircled E. turcicum 101 hyphae, reinforcing their antagonistic behavior. The production of non-volatile and volatile substances by the Trichoderma strains was evaluated, with T. asperellum 576 showing the highest potency in producing non-volatile and volatile substances, leading to an impressive 80.81% and 65.86% inhibition of E. turcicum 101 growth. Remarkably, co-culture suspensions of T. asperellum 576 + E. turcicum 101 and T. atroviride 393 + E. turcicum 101 exhibited strong antifungal activity. Furthermore, the activities of chitinase, β-1.3-glucanase, and cellulase were evaluated using the 3, 5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method. T. asperellum 576 + E. turcicum 101 displayed stronger cell wall degradation enzyme activity compared to T. atroviride 393 + E. turcicum 101, with values of 8.34 U/mL, 3.42 U/mL, and 7.75 U/mL, respectively. In greenhouse conditions, the application of a 107 spores/mL conidia suspension of T. asperellum 576 significantly enhanced maize seed germination and plant growth while effectively suppressing E. turcicum 101 infection. Maize seedlings inoculated/treated with both E. turcicum 101 and T. asperellum 576 demonstrated substantial improvements compared to those inoculated solely with E. turcicum 101. The T. asperellum 576 treatment involved a 107 spores/mL conidia suspension applied through a combination of foliar spray and soil drench. These findings highlight T. asperellum 576 as a promising biocontrol candidate against northern leaf blight in maize. Its antagonistic behavior, production of inhibitory compounds, and promotion of plant growth all contribute to its potential as an effective biocontrol agent for disease management.

Genetic and Transcriptomic Dissection of Host Defense to Goss's Bacterial Wilt and Leaf Blight of Maize.

Goss's wilt, caused by the Gram-positive actinobacterium Clavibacter nebraskensis, is an important bacterial disease of maize. The molecular and genetic mechanisms of resistance to the bacterium, or, in general, Gram-positive bacteria causing plant diseases, remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the genetic basis of Goss's wilt through differential gene expression, standard genome-wide association mapping (GWAS), extreme phenotype (XP) GWAS using highly resistant (R) and highly susceptible (S) lines, and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping using three bi-parental populations, identifying eleven disease association loci. Three loci were validated using near-isogenic lines or recombinant inbred lines. Our analysis indicates that Goss's wilt resistance is highly complex and major resistance genes are not commonly present. RNA sequencing of samples separately pooled from R and S lines with or without bacterial inoculation was performed, enabling identification of common and differential gene responses in R and S lines. Based on expression, in both R and S lines, the photosynthesis pathway was silenced upon infection, while stress-responsive pathways and phytohormone pathways, namely, abscisic acid, auxin, ethylene, jasmonate, and gibberellin, were markedly activated. In addition, sixty-five genes showed differential responses (up- or down-regulated) to infection in R and S lines. Combining genetic mapping and transcriptional data, individual candidate genes conferring Goss's wilt resistance were identified. Collectively, aspects of the genetic architecture of Goss's wilt resistance were revealed, providing foundational data for mechanistic studies.

Enhancing Corn Pest and Disease Recognition through Deep Learning: A Comprehensive Analysis

Pests and diseases significantly impact the quality and yield of maize. As a result, it is crucial to conduct disease diagnosis and identification for timely intervention and treatment of maize pests and diseases, ultimately enhancing the quality and economic efficiency of maize production. In this study, we present an enhanced maize pest identification model based on ResNet50. The objective was to achieve efficient and accurate identification of maize pests and diseases. By utilizing convolution and pooling operations for extracting shallow-edge features and compressing data, we introduced additional effective channels (environment–cognition–action) into the residual network module. This step addressed the issue of network degradation, establishes connections between channels, and facilitated the extraction of crucial deep features. Finally, experimental validation was performed to achieve 96.02% recognition accuracy using the ResNet50 model. This study successfully achieved the recognition of various maize pests and diseases, including maize leaf blight, Helminthosporium maydis, gray leaf spot, rust disease, stem borer, and corn armyworm. These results offer valuable insights for the intelligent control and management of maize pests and diseases.

CEMLB-YOLO: Efficient Detection Model of Maize Leaf Blight in Complex Field Environments

Northern corn leaf blight is a severe fungal disease that adversely affects the health of maize crops. In order to prevent maize yield decline caused by leaf blight, we propose the YOLOv5-based object detection lightweight models to rapidly detect maize leaf blight disease in complex scenarios. Firstly, the Crucial Information Position Attention Mechanism (CIPAM) enables the model to focus on retaining critical information during downsampling to reduce information loss. We introduce the Feature Restructuring and Fusion Module (FRAFM) to extract deep semantic information and make the feature map fusion across maps at different scales more effective. Thirdly, we add the Mobile Bi-Level Transformer (MobileBit) to the feature extraction network to help the model understand complex scenes more effectively and cost-effectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves 87.5% mAP@0.5 accuracy on the NLB dataset, which is 5.4% higher than the original model.

Variation in the morphology and effector profiles of Exserohilum turcicum isolates associated with the Northern Corn Leaf Blight of maize in Nigeria

BackgroundMaize production in lowland agro-ecologies in West and Central Africa is constrained by the fungus Exserohilum turcicum, causal agent of Northern Corn Leaf Blight (NCLB). Breeding for resistance to NCLB is considered the most effective management strategy. The strategy would be even more effective if there is adequate knowledge of the characteristics of E. turcicum in a target region. Maize leaves showing NCLB symptoms were collected during field surveys in three major maize growing areas in Nigeria: Ikenne, Ile-Ife, and Zaria during 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 growing seasons to characterize E. turcicum populations interacting with maize using morphological and molecular criteria.ResultsA total of 217 E. turcicum isolates were recovered. Most of the isolates (47%) were recovered from the Ikenne samples while the least were obtained from Zaria. All isolates were morphologically characterized. A subset of 124 isolates was analyzed for virulence effector profiles using three primers: SIX13-like, SIX5-like, and Ecp6. Inter- and intra-location variations among isolates was found in sporulation, growth patterns, and presence of the effectors. Candidate effector genes that condition pathogenicity and virulence in E. turcicum were found but not all isolates expressed the three effectors.ConclusionMorphological and genetic variation among E. turcicum isolates was found within and across locations. The variability observed suggests that breeding for resistance to NCLB in Nigeria requires selection for quantitative resistance to sustain the breeding efforts.

First Report of Penicillium oxalicum Causing Leaf Blight on Maize in China.

In August 2022, two-month-old maize plants (Zea mays cv. 'Zihei'; "Chinese purple corn") exhibited irregular lesions on leaves and leaf blight symptoms (Figure 1). Although the lesions were yellow at the early infection stages, they turned brown during the pathogen advancement and culminated in leaf blight. Nearly 60% of plants from a non-commercial maize field (0.2 ha) in south-eastern Jiangsu (Nantong municipality, China; 120.54º E, 31.58º N) exhibited brown lesions, and about 4% of the diseased plants showed advanced leaf blight symptoms. The disease resulted in approximately a 9% yield loss compared to previous years when no disease symptoms were observed. Thirty small leaf pieces, approximately 0.3 cm2 in size and showing disease symptoms, were surface sterilized in 1.5% NaOCl for 1 min and washed twice with sterile ddH2O. The pathogen was cultured on PDA medium in the dark at 25 ºC, with grayish colonies observed after 5 days. Morphological analysis showed the presence of round/oval conidia (8.81 ± 0.50 μm diameter; n = 86) and branched conidiophores, which was consistent with the morphology of Penicillium spp. (Visagie et al. 2014). Nine representative isolates were obtained from different leaf pieces via single spore isolation, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), β-tubulin (TUB2) and calmodulin (CMD) genes were amplified using ITS1/ITS4, BT2a/BT2b and CMD5/CMD6 primers, respectively. The obtained ITS (OP954496-OP954497 and OP942428-OP942434), TUB2 (OP966781-OP966784 and OQ025045-OQ025049) and CMD (OQ078664-OQ078672) sequences were submitted in GenBank. Two isolates belonged to the P. citrinum species, while seven of the isolates belonged to the P. oxalicum species. A blast search revealed that the obtained P. citrinum ITS and CMD sequences had 99.39% and 100% homology to the ex-type strain P. citrinum NRRL 1841; GenBank numbers: AF033422 and GU944638 (Peterson & Horn 2009). Additionally, the obtained P. oxalicum ITS and CMD sequences had 99.82-100% and 94.64-95.49% homology to the ex-type strain P. oxalicum NRRL 787; GenBank numbers: AF033438 and KF296367 (Visagie et al. 2015). A molecular phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA7 to confirm the identity of the pathogen (Figure 2). To confirm pathogenicity, 3-week-old healthy 'Zihei' plants were used. The leaves were sprayed with aqueous solutions (sterilized ddH2O) that contained 1 × 106 spores/mL of each isolate. For the control experiment, sterilized ddH2O was used. After 5 days in a growth chamber at 25 ºC and 70% relative humidity, yellow lesions were observed. The number of lesions was higher when inoculating with P. oxalicum than when inoculating with P. citrinum. This result, together with the higher occurrence of P. oxalicum isolates, suggests that P. oxalicum is the main species causing the disease symptoms. The pathogen was recovered from the infected plants, and its identity was confirmed by ITS sequencing and morphological analysis. As far as we know, this is the first report of P. citrinum and P. oxalicum causing maize leaf blight worldwide. These species have previously been associated with maize kernels, as a source of mycotoxins posing relevant hazards to human health (Keller et al. 2013; Yang et al. 2020). P. citrinum was recently identified as the causal agent of green mold on Dictyophora rubrovalvata in China (Qin et al. 2022), while P. oxalicum was reported to cause citrus rot, pineapple leaf spot, and blue mold on Gastrodia elata, Astralagus membranaceus and muskmelon (Tang et al. 2020; Wu et al. 2022; Zheng et al. 2022). China is one of the world's largest producers of maize, harvesting more than 171 million tons in 2021. This report will help to better understand the pathogens that affect China's maize production.

Northern maize leaf blight disease detection and segmentation using deep convolution neural networks

Northern maize leaf blight disease detection and segmentation using deep convolution neural networks

Characterization and virulence determination of Northern Corn Leaf Blight of Maize (Zea Mays L.). A Review

The main intention of this literature survey is to review to characterize the causative agent of northern corn leaf blight disease, caused by Exserohilum turcicum (Leonard and Suggs). Samples were from infected fields were examined for the variability experiments, maize isolates of E. turcicum were used to characterize morphological, pathogenicity and cultural variation respectively. All of the isolates differed in terms of cultural and physical characteristics. The pathogenic variability tested showed that isolates classified as more, less or none aggressive among the isolates tested.

Assessment of yield loss and avoidable yield loss due to southern leaf blight of maize and development of yield loss prediction model

Assessment of yield loss and avoidable yield loss due to southern leaf blight of maize and development of yield loss prediction model

The Effect Of Bacillus subtilis Formulation On The Intensity Of Attack Of Bipolaris maydis In Maize (Zea mays L.)

The use of antagonistic microorganisms in controlling plant pathogens is considered an important component in integrated pest control management. The effectiveness of Bacillus subtilis in controlling plant disease-causing pathogens has been widely proven. To simplify application and increase storage time, these bacteria can be formulated in liquid and powder form. This study aims to test the effectiveness of several B. subtilis isolates formulated in powder form to control maize leaf blight. The study was conducted at the Maros Cereal Research Institute. The study was arranged in a completely randomized design consisting of 8 treatments of B. subtilis isolates namely BS-TLB1, BS-BJ6, BS-TM3, BS-TM4, BS -BNt4, BS-BNt5, BS-BNt6, BS-BNt8 and three controls (K1 with the use of synthetic pesticides, K2 with Bipolaris maydis suspension (no formulation) and K3 with no treatment). Parameters observed include the intensity of leaf blight disease which was observed when the plants were 4 MST, 5 MST and 6 MST. The results showed that spraying maize leaves with the B. subtilis formulation had a positive effect on the attack intensity of B. maydis, treatment with BS-BNt4 had the lowest attack intensity, namely 68.00%.