Millet and millet diseases in China

Non-Peer ReviewedMillet (Setaria italica) is the third major food crop after wheat and corn in northern China. Millet straws, enriching proteins, are widely used as feeding materials for large animals such as cows and horses. Another important characteristic of millet is its high tolerance to drought and poor soil conditions. In this presentation, millet production in China and its major diseases are described. millet varieties can be divided into spring and summer millets according to the seeding time. Two kinds of millets have quite different ecological requirements, resulting in variation in disease species affecting millet yields. Downy mildew (Scleospora graminicola) and loose smut (Ustiiag ocrameri) are major diseases for spring millets. However, the predominate diseases for summer millets are millet rust (Uromyces satariae-italicae) nematode disease (Aphelenchoides sessey) and white eyespot (Rhizoctoria cerealis) and virus disease. Development of millet cultivars resistance to millet rust and white eyespot were further discussed