• The pathogen affects both seedling and the adult plants
• Minute, oval, light brown lesions on the young leaves and become dark brown
• Several such lesions coalesce to form large patches of infection on the leaf blade. The affected blades wither prematurely and the seedlings may be killed.
• Linear oblong and dark brown spots appear on the leaves of grown up plants. The leaves give blightening appearance.
• Prominent brown to dark brown discoloration in the neck region  and followed by weakening of neck tissue that causes it to break and the ears hanging down from the plant
• While nursery infection causes heavy damage due to the seedling blight, neck infection causes heavy chaffiness and severe loss in grain yield.
• It is seed-borne and primary infection is through seed
• Secondary infection through air borne conidia and stubbles

Identification of pathogen:

• The mycelium is intra and inter-cellular septate and light brown in colour
• Conidia are erect or curved septate and dark brown. They are borne at the tip of conidiophores
• Conidiophores are thick walled cylindrical or obcavate straight or curved and light green in color and 3-10 septate
• The spores germinate either through the stomata or epidermal cells.
• 11 spores may be formed in one conidiophore

MANAGEMENT:

Chemical method

• Treat the seeds with Captan or Thiram @4g/Kg
• Spray Mancozeb @ 1.25Kg/ha
• Spray 1% Bordeaux mixture or Copper oxy chloride or Dithane Z-78 (2g/lit. water)