Identification of Super and Ultra Early Maturity Maize Lines Resistance Against Leaf Blight Disease (Bipolaris maydis)

The leaf blight disease is one of the major maize diseases and causes yield losses up to 70% particularly when it infects maize planting on generative phase. Therefore, The maize variety which is resistant to this one is needed. The research was aimed to identify the maize variety resistance against leaf blight disease caused by Bipolaris maydis. This study was carried out at Maros Experimental Farm from May to July 2012. A randomized complete block design with maize lines as block and three replications was utilized. Natural infection was treated on maize lines. The result revealed that from 20 BLPT lines, only BPLT 004 showed highly resistant, five lines ie BPLT 001, BPLT 003, BPLT 007, BPLT 008 and BPLT 012 were resistant, seven lines indicated moderately resistant reaction namely BPLT 002, 005, 009, 010, 017, 019 and 020, while BPLT 006, 013, 014 and 016 were susceptible and BPLT 011, 015 and 018 were highly susceptible. From other 20 BJMN lines, BJMN 008, 010, 012 and 013 showed resistant to leaf blight with varied intensity from 10% to 20%. Nine lines namely BJMN 001, 002, 006, 007, 014, 015, 016, 018 and 020 indicated moderately resistant, while BJMN 003, 005 and 019 were reacted susceptible to leaf blight disease and the highly susceptible lines were BJMN 003, 005 and 019. The resistance genotypes will be used as donor parents in the varietal improvement to obtain maize varieties with high yield and resistant to leaf blight disease.