NPDN 2007 Meeting - Brown Stripe Downy Mildew of Corn

NPDN National Meeting 2007

Poster Abstract

Brown Stripe Downy Mildew of Corn

Authors: MELODIE L. PUTNAM, Kelly P. Collins

Affiliations: Oregon State University

Sclerophthora rayssiae var. zeae, the causal agent of brown stripe downy mildew (BSDM) of corn is a Select Agent which has not yet been found in the United States. BSDM has caused crop losses of 20-70% in India and, if introduced into the US, could have a devastating impact on our $23 billion corn industry. Sclerophthora rayssia e var. zeae is a straminipile which overseasons in infested soil or infected plant debris, causing leaf necrosis, reduced yield and plant death. With conducive environmental conditions, sporulation can occur rapidly in diseased leaves, producing a cyclical chain of secondary infection which can spread throughout the crop. Early recognition of the disease is important so that spread and subsequent crop loss is kept to a minimum. A Standard Operating Procedure for BSDM has been developed as part of the NPDN Diagnostics Subcommittee activities. The SOP provides NPDN diagnostic laboratories with the tools to hasten diagnosis and reporting should BSDM enter the United States.

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