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Published:
Aug 31, 2020Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Effect of different potassium rates on the severity of Northern Corn Leaf Blight caused by <i>Helminthosporium turcicum</i> in North Benin
Abstract
Objective: The overall objective is to develop a method to control the Northern Corn Leaf Blight caused by Helminthosporium turcicum, one of the major constraints in the worldwide maize production and particularly in Benin. Specifically, it aims to determine the optimal potassium rate to act effectively on the disease.
Methodology and Results: The study consist of subjecting three maize varieties to the effect of four different rates of K2O (40, 48, 60 and 90 kg K2O/ha abbreviated as K40, K48, K60 and K90) in the field at Gogounou (North Benin) in 2015 and 2016 then in the greenhouse in 2016. The experimental design was a split plot with four repetitions with K fertilizer rate as main factor, and variety as secondary factor. The study revealed that the rates K48, K60 and K90 respectively reduce the severity of Northern Corn Leaf Blight by 24.17%, 40.46% and 48.80% compared to the rate K40 in the greenhouse. In the field, the rates K60 and K90 respectively reduce the severity by 32.56% and 8.87% compared to the rate K40 in 2015. In 2016, the rates K48, K60 and K90 reduce the severity respectively by 9.83%, 23.96% and 15.39% compared to the K40 rate. In addition, no significant difference was found between the severity values of the three varieties studied neither in the greenhouse nor in the field. In addition, no significant correlation was observed between severity and grain yield in the field during the two years.
Conclusions and application of findings: The application of potassium decreases the severity of Northern Corn Leaf Blight and the rate K60 is the optimal to reduce the disease. The availability of fertilizer at the K60 to farmers in the endemic zones could help for sustainable management of the disease.
