Seed producers and seed-related industries or agencies have informational needs concerning plant diseases that are not met by existing reference books. This publication provides a database on all diseases of maize, caused by fungi, bacteria, mycoplasmas, spiroplasmas, and viruses. Information is provided for each disease against a standard set of items, designed to cover interests in all aspects of seed technology.

Diseases are grouped in parts 1, 2, and 3, according to the seedborne and seed transmission aspects of the pathogen.

The type of information given for each item:

• Disease names
• Pathogen
• Symptoms
• Economic importance
• Disease distribution
• Susceptible plants other than maize
• Variability
• Control
• Seedborne aspect
• Effect on seed quality
• Pathogen transmission
• Seed treatments
• Seed health tests
• Key references 

Maize Diseases: A Reference Source for Seed Technologists

Part 1

Diseases that are Seedborne and Seed Transmitted

Fungi
Anthracnose
Black bundle
Black kernel rot
Black mold
Brown stripe downy mildew
Crazy top
Diplodia ear and stalk rot
Fusarium stalk and ear rot
Fusarium stalk and root rot
Horse's tooth
Java downy mildew
Nigrospora ear rot
Penicillium ear rot
Phaeocytosporella stalk infection
Philippine downy mildew
Rhizopus ear rot
Sorghum downy mildew
Southern corn leaf blight
Storage rot
Sugarcane downy mildew
Bacteria
Bacterial leaf spot
Bacterial leaf stripe
Bacterial stalk rot
Goss's wilt
Stewart's wilt
Viruses
Maize dwarf mosaic
Maize leaf fleck
Maize leaf spot
Wheat streak mosaic

Part 2

Diseases that are Seedborne but not Seed Transmitted

Fungi
Acremonium zeae stalk rot
Alternaria leaf blight
Aspergillus ear rot
Banded leaf and sheath spot
Botrytis stalk rot
Carbonum leaf spot
Charcoal rot
Cladosporium ear rot
Common smut
Curvularia leaf spot
Dry rot
Exserohilum prolatum leaf spot
False smut
Gibberella ear and stalk rot
Gonatobotrys seed rot
Gray ear rot
Head smut
Helminthosporium leaf disease
Late wilt
Phomopsis seed rot
Physalospora ear rot
Physoderma brown spot
Red kernel
Rhizoctonia ear rot
Rhizoctonia root rot
Sclerotinia stalk rot
Sclerotium rolfsii ear rot
Trichoderma ear rot
Bacteria
Bacterial top and stalk rot
Spiroplasmas
Corn stunt
Viruses
Maize mosaic
Maize white line mosaic

Part 3

Diseases that are not Seedborne or Seed Transmitted

Fungi
Ascochyta leaf spot
Ceratocystis paradoxa leaf spot
Common rust
Corn gray spot
Didymella leaf spot
Eyespot
Gaeummanomyces graminis root rot
Gray leaf spot
Green ear disease
Helminthosporium pedicellatum root rot
Helminthosporium sativum root rot
Helminthosporium spp. leaf spots
Leptosphaeria leaf spot
Marasmiellus root and stalk rot
Microdochium bolleyi root rot
Northern leaf blight
Phaeososphaeria leaf spot
Phaeososphaeria herpotricha leaf spot
Phialophora radicicola root rot
Phyllosticta zeae leaf spot
Pyrenochaeta stalk rot
Pythium root rot
Pythium stalk rot
Pythium zeae leaf spot
Rajasthan downy mildew
Round blotch
Selenophoma leaf spot
Septoria leaf blotch
Southern rust
Spontaneum downy mildew
SWB root rot
Tar spot
Tropical rust
Yellow leaf blight
Zonate leaf spot
Bacteria
Bacterial leaf blight
Bacterial stripe
Bacterial root and stalk rot
Chocolate spot
Halo blight of corn
Holcus spot
Yellow leaf blotch
Mycoplasmas
Maize bushy stunt
Viruses
Barley stripe mosaic
Barley yellow dwarf
Brome mosaic
Cereal chlorotic mottle
Cereal tillering disease
Corn lethal necrosis
Cucumber chlorotic streak
Fiji disease
Guineagrass mosaic
Maize chlorotic dwarf
Maize chlorotic mottle
Maize gooseneck stripe
Maize line
Maize mottle/chlorotic stunt
Maize pellucid ringspot
Maize rayado fino
Maize raya gruesa
Maize red stripe
Maize ring mottle
Maize rough mottle
Maize rough dwarf
Maize streak
Maize stripe
Maize sterile stunt
Maize tassel abortion
Maize vein enation}
Maize wallaby ear
Rice black-streaked dwarf
Rice stripe
Sorghum red stripe
Wheat striate

Part 4

Pathogens that Infect Maize by Inoculation Only

Fungi
Claviceps microphela
Helminthorsporium dactylidis
Peronosclerospora miscanthi
Phytophthora cinnamomi
Phymatotrichum omnivorum
Bacteria
Pseudomonas rubrisalbicans
Viruses
Barley yellow striate mosaic virus
Digitaria striate virus
Millet red leaf virus
Northern cereal mosaic virus
Oat pseudo-rosette virus
Oat sterile dwarf virus
Sorghum mosaic virus
Tobacco ringspot virus
Wheat spot mosaic