Divisi
Maize streak virus
Maize streak virus · Viral
Photo: L. W. H. Chang / USDA APHIS (photo courtesy V. D. Damsteegt) · Public domain
Maize streak virus is the most damaging virus disease of maize in sub-Saharan Africa. It is not spread by touch, seed, or wind — it is carried plant-to-plant by tiny leafhoppers (small jumping insects, the vector — the living carrier that injects the virus as it feeds). The insects pick up the virus from infected maize and wild grasses and pass it on for the rest of their lives. A plant infected while young is stunted for good and may never make a cob.
Maathavi Kannan, Ismanizan Ismail, and Hamidun Bunawan · CC BY 4.0 
Merike Sõmera, Cecilia Sarmiento, and Erkki Truve · CC BY 4.0
Why it matters
Maize streak can cost you your whole field — up to 100% of the crop — when plants catch it young. Because it is a virus living inside the plant, no spray can cure a plant once it is infected — a striped plant stays striped and stunted to harvest. The insects that carry it are small and easy to miss, so the disease often spreads before you notice. That is why everything here is about stopping it before it starts, not curing it after.
When to act
streak symptoms on young plants or leafhoppers colonising seedlings; earliest-infected plants suffer the greatest loss
This guidance is general, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. Thresholds and timing shift with your crop, your variety and the season.
In much of the region a spray is simply called mushonga — medicine. But a chemical group you cannot name is one you cannot rotate, and a product you did not write down has no pre-harvest interval you can observe. Mushonga, and other farming words →
The full maize streak virus field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
16 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to maize streak virus — every symptom to check, how and when to walk your field looking for it, and the controls that actually work, ranked. Built into your crop plan, so you are told to look before it costs you a harvest.
Crops it affects
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify maize streak virus?
The first sign shows on the youngest leaves: broken, pale-yellow to near-white streaks and dots running the length of the leaf, along the veins. At first they look like scattered dashes, like someone flicked pale paint down the leaf.
When should I take action against maize streak virus?
streak symptoms on young plants or leafhoppers colonising seedlings; earliest-infected plants suffer the greatest loss
How do I control maize streak virus?
Prevent first — grow a resistant variety (your strongest tool). The single best defence is planting maize-streak-resistant seed, bred for African conditions; it stays green and yields even when leafhoppers are about. If streak has hurt you before, make this your main choice for next season.
Which crops does maize streak virus affect?
Among the crops covered here: Maize.
Catch it before it costs you a harvest
Divisi builds scouting into your crop plan — it tells you when to walk your field, what to look for at that stage, and what to do when you find it. Free for farmers, works offline.
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