Deadly viruses absent in Tanzanian maize grain seeds, says report
This finding suggests a minimal risk of virus transmission through Tanzanian maize grain seeds, marking a significant development in regional agricultural health.
Following laboratory analysis, a recent report has confirmed the absence of maize lethal necrosis diseases (MLND) and its associated viruses in both maize grain seeds and field samples across Tanzania's key maize-producing regions.
This finding suggests a minimal risk of virus transmission through Tanzanian maize grain seeds, marking a significant development in regional agricultural health.
This comes after the first report of the occurrence of Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND) in Tanzania which prompted the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania through its Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (PHPA) to conduct monitoring surveys from 2016 to 2021 and recently in 2023 to establish the areas affected by the disease and identify the viruses causing the disease in the maize fields and grain consignments.
A comprehensive survey of MLND was conducted in the Lake Zone (Mwanza, Kagera, Shinyanga, Mara), Northern Zone (Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Arusha) Southern Highlands Zone (Ruvuma, Njombe, Iringa, Rukwa and Katavi), Central zone (Dodoma and Singida), Western Zone (Tabora) and the Eastern Zone (Tanga and Morogoro).
RT-PCR method was used to detect these viruses in the field-collected samples and from maize grain seed samples collected from Kasumulo Border in December 2023.
Maize lethal necrosis disease (MLND) of maize (Zea mays L.) is caused by a combination of Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and any of the cereal viruses in the Potyviridae group including Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), Maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV), Maize mosaic virus (MMV) and Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV).
The disease was first reported in Kenya, (South Rift Valley – Bomet and Naivasha districts) in September 2011, although its extent at that point suggested that the disease had been present for some time.
MLND has also spread rapidly into Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan in 2013.
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