ABSTRACT Foliar diseases are a significant constraint to maize productivity across key agro‐climatic zones in India. This study assessed the efficacy of fungicide treatments for managing five major foliar diseases, viz., maydis leaf blight (MLB), turcicum leaf blight (TLB), curvularia leaf spot (CLS), sorghum downy mildew (SDM) and Rajasthan downy mildew (RDM), over multiple environments during 2017–2023. The comparative field trials were conducted under protected (fungicide application) and unprotected (control) conditions, with artificial inoculation, to assess disease intensity, grain yield and avoidable yield losses (AYL). Two foliar fungicide sprays were applied within 15 days after inoculation, whereas a single seed treatment was used for managing seed‐borne and systemic diseases. Fungicide application significantly reduced foliar disease intensity across all locations and seasons, resulting in variable yield increases (AYL values) compared with untreated: highest (up to 50.64%) for TLB, intermediate (15.91%–24.73%) for MLB and lowest (around 16%) for CLS. AYL values were higher for the two systemic diseases, SDM (> 88%) and RDM (58.48%), following seed treatment. Among the different diseases assessed, SDM recorded the highest yield response to fungicide treatment, underlining the crucial role of early disease management in high‐risk locations. These findings underscore the critical role of fungicides in integrated disease management and provide valuable, location‐specific insights for stakeholders seeking to mitigate the impacts of foliar diseases and enhance maize productivity in India.
Bagaria et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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