Divisi
Pearl millet blast
Magnaporthe grisea (Pyricularia grisea), pearl-millet pathotype · Fungal
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
A fast fungal leaf-and-head disease of pearl millet, different from the paddy-rice blast fungus. It scorches the leaves and, worse, rots the neck just below the grain head so the head bends, breaks or fills with shrivelled, chaffy grain.
Why it matters
Blast can take up to 60% of the grain in a bad, wet year. Leaf blast slows the crop, but the real damage is neck blast: the fungus rots the thin neck just below the grain head, so the head bends over, snaps off, or fills only with light, chaffy grain. Once the neck is rotten there is no cure — the head is lost — so this is a disease you must stop early, before heading, not treat late.
When to act
First spindle-shaped grey lesions on the leaves, OR any rotten grey collar just below a head — act at once; in warm, wet weather with a dense crop, protect the heads at the very start of heading before you see much.
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 pearl millet blast field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
15 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to pearl millet blast — 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 pearl millet blast?
On the leaves (first sign): small grey-green, water-soaked spots that quickly grow into diamond- or spindle-shaped lesions — a grey or ash-white dead centre with a brown or reddish edge. In wet weather many join up and whole leaves dry off from the tip.
When should I take action against pearl millet blast?
First spindle-shaped grey lesions on the leaves, OR any rotten grey collar just below a head — act at once; in warm, wet weather with a dense crop, protect the heads at the very start of heading before you see much.
How do I control pearl millet blast?
Prevent — grow a resistant variety (your strongest tool): plant a blast-resistant or tolerant pearl-millet variety/hybrid where your seed supplier offers one. This alone prevents most losses and costs nothing extra at spraying time.
Which crops does pearl millet blast affect?
Among the crops covered here: Pearl millet.
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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