DOWNY MILDEW OF MAIZE IN NEPAL

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the second most important crop in Nepal and is grown in all 14 zones of the country. It is cultivated from an elevation of 90 to 3600 meters and where the average yearly rainfall is 1400 mm in the west to 2200 mm in the east. The crop is extensively grown in the hills under rain-fed conditions where it is the staple food of the common people and where it usually takes 6-9 moths to mature. In certain tarai and inner-tarai areas mazie ripens in a shorter period of time and is becoming increasingly popular and farmers have begun winter cultivation. During the period of 1961-62 through 1974-74 the area varied from 412 to 458 thousand hectares, production from 765 to 954 thousand metric tons and the average annual yield form 1.72 to 1.93 MT.