A new maize disorder in Uganda caused by Cicadulina niger
1995
Bigirwa, G. | Gibson, R.W. | Page, W.W. | Hakiza, J.J. | Kyetere, D.T. | Kalule, T.M. | Baguma, S.D.
A previously unknown disorder of maize is described from farmers' fields in Uganda. In severe examples, plants were stunted, leaves were short and stubby with a ragged rather than straight margin; leaves were also curved upwards both laterally and longitudinally to form an ear-like shape, and had prominent, galled leaf veins. Sometimes symptoms were restricted to only lower leaves or parts of lower leaves. In one field near Namulonge about 25 percent of plants were affected to some degree; affected plants have also been found elsewhere in Uganda. Leafhoppers identified as Cicadulina niger (Ghauri) were present on affected plants, associated with ants which appeared to attend to them. In laboratory tests, feeding by one or a few C. niger induced a similar disease symptom in young maize seedlings of the variety Kawanda Composite A and, when removed, new foliage was symptomless. Thus, like maize wallaby ear caused by C. bimaculata (Evans) and C. bipunctata (Melichar), these symptoms result from feeding by C. niger. Field-collected adults allowed 2 days access to maize streak virus (MSV), on infected maize leaves, also transmitted MSV to maize seedlings of Kawanda Composite A, a first record of transmission by this species.
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This bibliographic record has been provided by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre