History, significance and management of banded leaf and sheath blight disease of maize: a review

Banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB) caused by necrotic fungus Rhizoctonia solani f. sp. sasakii is one of the major disease of maize. BLSB is reported globally and cause complete failure of maize crop depending upon the environmental conditions. R. solani has wide, diverse host range and ability to remain dormant under unfavourable conditions in sclerotial forms making the pathogen rather difficult to manage. Due to absence of a desired level of resistance in commercially popular varieties/ hybrids of maize, management through chemical control has been the most adopted method. Limitations of high costs, health hazards and environmental pollutions pose a serious threat by chemical control measures. In this review, we provide an updated comprehensive description of history, economic impact, distribution, symptoms and various control measures including cultural, host plant resistance, biological and need-based applications of chemicals. Recent studies revealed efficacy of stripping of lower two/three leaves at 40 days after sowing as an efficient cultural practice for managing this disease. However, for effective management of BLSB disease, there is an urgent need to integrate all the available control methods to achieve its sustainable management in future with minimized economical losses.