Assessments of Major Cereal Disease in Potential Agro-Ecology of Borana Zone , Southern Oromia

Abstract

Cereal Production in Borana lowland and Mid highland were threatened by a number of biotic and abiotic factors. Among these biotic factors diseases were the prominent one. Therefore, these survey work was conducted in Borana administrative zone , to determine the incidence and severity of major cereal disease and to identify areas of intervention for optimization of cereal productivity. Eighteen site, which represent the two agro-ecologica1 zones were surveyed. Six representative crop producing districts of the zone were selected based on the agro-ecology of the zone. From this six districts 18 PAs were purposively selected. From one district three PAs were assessed from each PA 10 fields were surveyed at an interval of 5-10 km . The main cereals grown in these areas were maize , Tef wheat barley and sorghum. From these major cereal crop most frequently six different types of disease were identified these diseases were GLS, Rusts, Fusarium head scab of wheat Loose smut, Northern maize blight (Turcicum leaf blight) and Maize ear rots. In all the surveyed area all these disease were prevalent, However, the extent of the economic damage varies depending on factors such as production systems, climate, choice of variety. Disease problem is less feared in miyo and Yabello as compared to fear of the rainfall shortage. At Teltale loose smut disease of sorghum, tef and barley were significantly important . While the incidence and disease severity is less than 20 % in lowland (rainfall deficit areas) except loose smut at Teltale. While disease are the most economically important in all the rests of the districts. Therefore these survey results open the doors for the estimation of economic loss caused by these identified disease on the major cereal at Abaya, Galana and Bule hora. In Mid highland areas of the zone foliar disease like turcicum leaf blight, leaf rust and grey leaf spots are among the challenging disease of maize, in addition to this crop wheat is one of the important cereal crops of mid highland which were highly affected by rust and Fusarium head scab disease. However, in 2014 no disease was assessed from lowland due to the failurity of the crop before reaching the flowering stages.

Keywords: Cereal disease