Pearl Millet Diseases
Questionable and Poorly Described Diseases

Yellow Leaf Blotch

Yellow leaf blotch, caused by a bacterium tentatively identified as a Pseudomonas sp., was reported on pearl millet, maize, sorghum, johnsongrass, wheat, and unidentified grasses in Cameroon, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal (Zummo 1976). Lesions can develop in the seedling stage and are cream yellow to light beige and distinct, with a tendency for streaks to follow the veins. Lesions in pearl millet usually form at leaf tips. Young infected plants can be stunted.

Some differences in symptoms exist between this and other diseases caused by Pseudomonas spp., suggesting it may be a different pathogen. The lack of bacterial exudate associated with the lesions is generally not characteristic of bacterial diseases. In addition, the genus of the bacterium was not positively identified. Additional studies on the etiology of this disease are required.

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United States Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service

The material on this page is in the public domain.

Original posting: June 5, 1999.