Affiliation:
1. School of Applied Environmental Sciences, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X1, Scottsville 3209, South Africa
2. Cedara Agricultural Development Institute, Private Bag X9059, Pietermaritzburg 3200, South Africa
Abstract
The effects of the application of 0, 60, and 120 kg N ha-1 and of 0, 25, 50, and 150 kg K ha-1 on final disease severity, standardized area under disease progress curve, and grain yield were investigated at Cedara, South Africa, on a maize (Zea mays) hybrid susceptible to gray leaf spot (GLS), caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis. The trial was a randomized 3 × 4 factor design, split for fungicide treatments, and replicated three times. With increased N and K levels, final percent leaf blighting and the standardized area under disease progress curve were higher. In fungicide-treated maize, grain yields increased with increasing levels of N and K, as expected. In non-fungicide-treated maize, grain yield increased significantly with increased levels of N, despite increased disease severity. This was in contrast to small increases in grain yields from non-fungicide-treated maize with increased K levels, which were not significant. This was probably because grain yield response, which should have occurred at higher K applications, was reduced by increased disease severity. The effect of N, P, and K on GLS wasinvestigated at Ahrens. Maize was grown in a 4 × 4 × 4 N-P-K factorial, in a randomized complete block design. Fertilizer was applied at 0, 60, 120, and 180 kg N ha-1, 0, 30, 60, and 120 kg P ha-1, and 0, 50, 100, and 150 kg K ha-1. No fungicides were applied. A single disease assessment at physiological maturity showed that final disease severity increased with increasing levels of N, P, and K. These results have implications for small-scale farmers who are encouraged to fertilize for increased grain yields but may not have the resources to apply fungicide sprays to control fungal diseases.
Subject
Plant Science,Agronomy and Crop Science
Cited by
8 articles.
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