Distribution of maize lethal necrosis disease, its causal viruses and alternative hosts in north and central regions of Tanzania

Maize is an important income generating food crop in Tanzania. However, yields remain low due to several limiting factors including among others diseases caused by fungi and viruses. The threat caused by several biotic factors in the country was further worsened with an outbreak of maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease in 2012 in Arusha and Mwanza regions of Tanzania. MLN disease is caused by the synergistic interaction between Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). Of these two, MCMV is a new virus in Africa, first recognized in an MLN outbreak in Kenya, whereas SCMV is endemic to Africa. This study focused on understanding the extent of MCMV/MLN spread in north and central regions of Tanzania by conducting surveys between February to June, 2015. A total of 163 farmers’ fields were sampled in 14 districts in Arusha, Dodoma and Manyara regions. Disease incidence and severity were estimated based on MLN symptoms such as chlorosis, mottling and necrosis. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was used for the detection of MCMV and SCMV in field samples. Disease severity, assessed on a 1 to 5 rating scale, varied from 2 to 3.6, with an overall mean disease incidence of 16.1%. Thirty nine percent of the samples tested positive to MCMV, 22% for SCMV and 5.5% for both MCMV and SCMV. A total of 254 non-maize crops and weeds tested for MCMV and SCMV revealed SCMV in seven samples (2.8%) in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarium), finger millet (Eleusine coracana), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and bristly foxtail (Setaria verticillata). The nucleotide sequence of the coat protein region of MCMV showed very high levels of homology (99%) between MCMV from Tanzania and those from Kenya and other countries. However, the SCMV nucleotide sequence of the coat protein region was divergent by up to 11%, compared to other isolates. This study demonstrated wide distribution of MCMV/MLN in the north and central regions of Tanzania and also showed that SCMV occurs in maize as well as other cereal hosts. Further studies on factors influencing disease distribution and occurrence is recommended as interventions for disease management are developed and deployed.