Profiling rice farms for the occurrence of major diseases at different growth stages in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Title : Profiling rice farms for the occurrence of major diseases at different growth stages in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Abstract:

Diseases of rice reduce grain yield and quality significantly in the major producing areas of Ghana. The limited availability of information on their incidence and severity led to the execution of this study to monitor and document major diseases affecting rice at different growth stages of the plant on farmers’ rice fields in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Rice disease surveillance was conducted in 2022 and 2023 in nine rice-growing communities. A total of 108 farms were assessed for disease incidence and severity using the Standard Evaluation System of Rice (SES). These surveys were done at four growth stages of rice, viz., nursery, vegetative, reproductive, and ripening stages. Ten rice diseases were observed on rice fields in the Ashanti Region. Out of the 10 diseases, five were observed at all growth stages of the rice plant and generally progressed with time. Brown spot and leaf blast were the most predominant diseases within the region, with mean incidences of 75.4% and 68.7%, respectively, at the ripening stage. Again, both similarly exhibited higher severity from the nursery to the ripening stage. There was no significant difference in disease occurrence among the communities for all the observed diseases, with the exception of false smut, whose incidence varied among the districts. Co-infection of pathogens was observed in several instances during the surveillance at all growth stages of rice. Brown spot and leaf blast continue to be the most important diseases of rice, as they were observed from the nursery to the ripening stage of the plant. This study is useful in designing integrated disease management for major rice diseases observed in the region.

Audience Takeaway:

• This presentation emphasizes on the importance of rice diseases to ensuring a sustainable food security in most developing countries.
• This study expresses the current disease dynamics within the Ashanti Region of Ghana and it is highly applicable to most rice-growing areas across the globe.
• This study is of interest to researchers, academicians and students who are working on rice disease management.
• Findings from this study will help in designing suitable integrated disease management strategies for rice farmers.

Biography:

Dr. Atta Kwesi Aidoo, is a Senior Research Scientist and Head of Section, Plant Pathology, CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Ghana. He has over 15 publications in the areas of plant pathology, seed health, pesticide use, etc., in reputed journals. He is a reviewer of six journals and a member of several national scientific societies, viz., the Research Staff Association (RSA), the Ghana Science Association (GSA), and the Plant Protection Society of Ghana (PPSG). He has handled several projects by different funding agencies such as KAFACI-YSRP, KOPIA-RPD, BAYER-FUNGICIDE, and BAYER-BACTERICIDE. He co-supervises eight postgraduates from three universities in Ghana.