The presence of bacterial stalk rot disease on corn in Indonesia: A review

Abstract

Abstract Bacterial stalk rot disease in corn results in a significant reduction in yield due to the interruption of the flow of nutrients from the roots to other parts of the plant. Pathogenic bacteria infect the inner tissue of the stalk until it rots. This disease has been reported to attack corn crops in Asia and Europe such as India, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Nepal, Mexico, Serbia, and China. In Indonesia, this disease was first reported to attack corn in the West Sulawesi region by the Mamuju Class II Quarantine Station. The results of molecular identification indicated that this disease is caused by the bacterium Dickeya zeae, previously known as Erwinia chrysanthemi pv. zeae that previously reported attacked pineapple and aloe vera in Indonesia. The potential for economic losses due to this disease is quite high, so appropriate and efficient control measures are needed. Based on those, this research study about the symptom, the characteristic of the bacteria agent caused the stalk rot disease, the distribution and the impact to the maize production in Indonesia.