THE DOWNY MILDEWS OF CORN AND OTHER GRAMINEAE IN AFRICA AND ISRAEL, AND THE PRESENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH

Abstract

I includes “other Gramineae” in the title for two reasons. First, most downy mildew (DM) species that infect corn (Zea mays L.) are known to attack other Gramineae as well, and of these, a few are thus far much more important on crops other than corn, e.g. Sclerospora graminicola and S. miscanthi. Secondly, in Africa, the DM spp. on Gramineae have not always been correctly or positively identified, a situation that continues today. It is quite possibly that a particular species present in one region of Africa differs in host range from isolates in other African regions and on other continents. Careful work must be done in order to corroborate or dismiss accumulated reports over many years as to the identity and host range for Africa.