Screening of Maize Inbred Lines under Artificial Epiphytotic Condition for Turcicum Leaf Blight Resistance

Maize is the leading cereal crop worldwide with wide adaptability and high productivity potential. Foliar diseases are arguably the major biotic constraints for maize yield. Turcicum Leaf Blight (TLB) is considered to be the most persistent and destructive maize disease among various foliar diseases. The present study is an attempt to screen forty maize inbreds for resistance against TLB under artificially inoculated field conditions. The experiment was conducted in two different environments, viz. Varanasi (E1) and Nagenahalli (E2) to know the disease reaction of maize inbreds for two successive years. Screening of 40 maize inbreds revealed, 10 resistant, 13 partial resistant, 7 partial susceptible and 10 susceptible in Varanasi whereas at Nagenahalli, 3 resistant, 6 partial resistant, 14 partial susceptible, 7 susceptible and 10 highly susceptible genotypes. Based on this study, the selected resistant lines will be used in future breeding programs and could potentially be used to develop promising genotypes with suitable levels of resistance.