Pearl Millet Diseases
Viral Diseases

Maize Streak Virus (MSV)

Symptoms: Chlorotic streaks on foliage are generally not severe. On inoculated seedlings, light-colored circular spots develop, usually on one side of the leaf and parallel to the midrib. Spots coalesce to form nearly uninterrupted chlorotic bands running the length of the leaf. New emerging leaves show well-developed chlorotic stripes along the length of the leaf (Seth et al. 1972a).

Pathogen and disease characteristics: This geminivirus is transmitted by at least eight leafhopper species.

Host range: Pearl millet, maize, sugarcane, wheat, barley, oat, finger millet (Eleusine coracana), African rice (Oryza glaberrima Steudel), Axonopus compressus, Brachiaria lata, B. deflexa, B. distichophylla, Coix lacryma-jobi, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Digitaria horizontalis, Eleusine indica, Echinochloa colonum, E. stagnina, Oryza sativa, Paspalum conjugatum, P. notatum, P. scrobiculatum, Panicum maximum, Pennisetum polystachion, Rhynchelytrum repens, Rottboellia cochinchinensis, Setaria barbata, and many other hosts within the Gramineae.

Geographic distribution: Egypt, India, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Réunion, South Africa, Uganda.

Nomenclature discrepancies: Alternative disease names: Pennisetum strain of maize streak virus, bajra streak, sugarcane streak virus, panicum streak virus.

Numerous strains exist. Isolates from pearl millet cross-react with antisera from maize, panicum, and sugarcane isolates. Isolates from pearl millet probably belong to the Panicum strain and appear to be too distantly related to MSV from maize to be important in relation to MSV in the field. Pearl millet is susceptible to the "Eleusine strain," according to Nagaraju and Viswanath (1983). Later work (Briddon et al. 1996) indicates that isolates from pearl millet are most closely related to sugarcane streak virus.

Seed transmission: Not known to be transmitted by seed.

Primary citations: Shurtleff 1980, Nagaraju and Viswanath 1983, Mesfin et al. 1992.

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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.