FACTSHEETS FOR FARMERS
www.plantwise.orgCreated in Ethiopia, August 2015
Management of maize streak virus
Recognize the problem
Maize streak virus is very common in Ethiopia and is found in almost all maize
growing areas. It has been reported to cause disease incidences that vary from
a few infected plants per field to total yield loss with 100% infection. Erratic
epidemics have been occuring every 3-10 years. The main damage caused is to
plants younger than six weeks old. On young plants, the top and bottom
surfaces of leaves have yellowish and light green streaks while mature plants
have whitish, yellow and light green streaks running along their surface in the
direction of the leaf veins. Maize plants can be severely stunted if the crop is
attacked during the 4-5 leaf stage. Abnormal bunching of flowers and shoots
and reddish pigmentation may also be seen.
Background
Maize streak virus disease is caused by a virus, transmitted by a brownish
white leafhopper that feeds on the maize leaves. It is highly persistent in the
vector. The more leafhoppers are in the field, the quicker the disease will
spread.
Management
• Use certified disease free seed from a registered stockist and plant at the
onset of the rains
• Planting a large area of maize all at once is likely to make the crop less
vulnerable to maize leafhopper infestation
• Inspect the field regularly when the maize is small, looking for diseased
plants
• Uproot infected plants when they first show signs of disease. This will
keep the disease from spreading to healthy plants. Put the whole plant in
a sack so the leafhoppers do not move to other plants
• Remove infected maize plants (rogueing) at an early stage and feed the
removed plants to animals
• Keep the fields free from weeds, in particular grasses, to keep the
vectors away and reduce disease transmission
• Remove cereal crop residues since they serve as an infection source
• Use chemical insecticides eg. Gaucho 70 WS (imidacloprid) 125gm/ha for
the control of the vector before virus infection
The recommendations in this factsheet are relevant to: Ethiopia
Authors: Hiwot Lemma, Daniel W Michael, Mhreteab Tsegay
Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources
tel: +251-1911059130 email: hiwot.lemma@ymail.com
Edited by Plantwise
Plantwise is a global initiative led by CABI
ET003En
Lose Less, Feed More
Symptoms of maize streak virus on
the leaves. (Photo by CIMMYT,
flickr.com)
When using a pesticide, always wear protective clothing and follow the instructions on the product label, such
as dosage, timing of application, and pre-harvest interval.
