Status of a new maize disease in

Rwanda

Gafishi Kanyamasoro Martin

Nairobi, 21-23 August, 2013

Importance of maize in Rwanda

Maize is among priority crops in Rwanda

Crop intensification program (CIP) policy in Rwanda is aiming at boosting priority crops productivity and improving food security

This is achieved through use of fertilizers and improved seeds in consolidated lands

Importance of maize in Rwanda

Maize production has tremendously increased (from101.659MT in 2007 to 525.6679MT in 2011)

Maize is ahead of other major grain crops in Rwanda in

terms of production This is due to new agriculture policy where farmers in

consolidated land receive free seed and pay only for 50% of mineral fertilizer

Sources of improved seeds

The seed maize used in Rwanda is from:

• Local maize OPVs

• Purchased hybrid seeds from seed companies

New outbreak of a maize disease

February 2013, a new and strange disease was reported in Gisesero site, Musanze District/ Northern Province Researchers went to the site for assessment

The maize was showing quite new disease symptoms

A series of meetings organized on this issue

Symptoms of the disease

Premature drying of husks Leaf yellowing starting mainly with young ones Necrosis Poor development of grains on the cob Some cases of maize plant stunting Some cases of dead heart Leaves turn Purple for some plants

Symptoms of the disease Premature drying of husks

Symptoms of the disease

Necrosis from margins inwards Yellowing starting from young leaves

Symptoms of the disease

Poor seed development Poor seed set

Spread of the disease

• The disease spreads very fast• It reached the Western province and new sites in the

Northern zone• It starts to show very severe symptoms • A quick assessment in affected areas revealed 20%

up to complete crop loss• Around 630 ha of maize were affected in the

highlands

Spread of the disease cont’d An assessment was conducted on 3-7 June 2013

22 sites situated all in highlands were found infected

Measures taken

Awareness creation to: Sector agronomists CIP focal persons Local authority Policy makers Sample collection and sent to UK for analysis

Sample analysis and results

The results from FERA were positive by TaqMan PCR for MCMV and negative for SCMV

Negative by ELISA for MDMV and WSMV

The results were the same both for Pool9A & PAN691

Disease management

Farmers were advised to: Destroy maize fields with high disease incidence Uproot and remove from the field all suspected

maize plants Spray with insecticide the maize fields with low

disease incidence to control vectors Spray with insecticide on host plants Plant non-cereal crops in infected fields and

surrounding areas

Strategies in place

Carry out a survey in order to know the current status at Country level and take appropriate measures

Create awareness to non-affected areas Stop importing seed from affected Countries Breeding for resistance in collaboration with other research institutions and international centres Analysis of more samples to confirm MLN in Rwanda

Challenges

Uprooting maize increases labour and thus hardly accepted by farmers Farmers prefer to cut diseased maize plants Effort is put on consolidated land but little or nothing done for maize planted in people’s kitchen gardens Free movement of green maize from infested areas to the place of consumption

Most farmers sell the diseased maize crop to cattle keepers

Charcoal made from the maize stovers in Rubavu District western zone

Charcoal made from the maize stovers in Rubavu District western zone

A farmer explaining to CIP FP that the diseased maize is collected and used to make charcoal (at the left)

A farmer explaining to CIP FP that the diseased maize is collected and used to make charcoal (at the left)

Conclusion MCMV is present in the highlands of RwandaThe analysis has not yet confirmed the

presence of MLN in RwandaThere are symptoms looking like those of MLNFurther sample analysis is neededStrategies to stop the disease from spreading

to new locations should be put in placeBreeding for resistance is the sustainable

solution to this disease

Thank you for your attention