The Occurrence and Distribution of Sorghum Diseases in Major Production Regions of Senegal, West Africa

L.K. Prom, M.P. Sarr, C. Diatta, A. Ngom, O. Aïdara, N. Cisse and C. Magill

Background and Objective: Sorghum ranks third behind millet and maize among dry land cereal production and plays a critical part in subsistence farming in Senegal. This study aimed to establish the occurrence, distribution and identify ‘hotspots’ of sorghum foliar and panicle diseases in major production regions of Senegal, West Africa. Materials and Methods: In 2019, a survey was conducted on 206 farmers’ fields along paved and unpaved roads and around rural villages in major sorghum production regions of Thies, Kolda, Kaolack, Tambacounda, Kaffrine, Diourbel and Fatick. At each field, 40 plants were assessed arbitrarily using a W-shaped pattern to cover the whole field. Stops were made at intervals of 30 km and at each stop, 2-5 fields were surveyed for disease prevalence and incidence. Results: Fifteen different sorghum diseases were documented. Leaf blight was the most prevalent disease, followed by anthracnose, zonate leaf spot, rough leaf spot, sooty stripe and target leaf spot across the regions. Prevalence of covered kernel smut, gray leaf spot, oval leaf spot, long smut, grain mold and maize mosaic virus were observed in low frequencies. The highest incidence of leaf blight and anthracnose was recorded in the region of Kolda. The incidence of sooty stripe was highest in the regions of Thies and Kaffrine, while zonate leaf spot incidence was highest in Tambacounda. Conclusion: The work is significant because for the first time this information was documented and can be utilized as a guide by researchers such as Plant Pathologists, students, government and funding agencies and producers on the occurrence, distribution and relative importance of each sorghum disease in major sorghum-growing regions in Senegal, West Africa. The “hot spots” for evaluating sorghum germplasm for resistance to leaf blight, anthracnose, zonate leaf spot, sooty stripe and rough leaf spot also were identified.

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