SOUTH AFRICA – The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has sounded an alarm over the detection of Goss’s Wilt, a bacterial disease affecting maize, in four provinces; Free State, North West, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape.
The disease, caused by Clavibacter nebraskensis, has raised concerns over its potential impact on maize yields in South Africa, a country where maize is a staple food and a cornerstone of the agricultural economy.
Goss’s Wilt was identified after samples were collected during official surveys. In a statement issued on January 22, the DALRRD explained that the disease is regulated under the Agricultural Pests Act, 1983 (Act No. 36 of 1983) and its associated control measures.
The department has emphasized that maize (Zea mays) is the only known economically significant host of the pathogen, making this outbreak a critical issue for local producers.
The disease primarily spreads within fields through contact between the leaves of adjacent plants. Over longer distances, it can be transmitted through seed, although this mode of transmission is limited.
Goss’s Wilt has no known fungicidal treatments, making its management reliant on preventive measures. These include planting maize hybrids that are resistant to the disease, rotating maize with non-host crops to disrupt the pathogen’s lifecycle, and managing infected residue to reduce its spread.
To mitigate the impact of Goss’s Wilt, DALRRD is conducting research into the disease’s epidemiology and management while also expanding delimiting surveys to understand the extent of its spread.
Farmers are being urged to adopt stringent cultural practices, including minimizing the movement of infected stubble between fields and maintaining good weed control to limit alternative hosts for the bacterium.
The department has also called on international travelers to avoid importing agricultural products illegally, warning that such actions could introduce new pests and diseases that are costly and difficult to manage.
This outbreak comes at a time when South Africa’s maize industry is under scrutiny. For the first time in eight years, the country recently imported 23,700 tons of white maize produced in the United States to meet local demand.
According to Dr. André van der Vyver, executive director of the South African Cereals and Oilseeds Trade Association (Sacota), an additional vessel, carrying 46,000 tonnes of white maize, is expected to arrive in February.
The necessity for these imports stems from a substantial decline in domestic maize production. During the 2023/24 production year, grains and oilseeds experienced a challenging season, with maize production plummeting approximately 22.5% and soybean production decreasing by 33.5% compared to the previous year.
The Crop Estimates Committee’s November 2024 report estimated white maize production at just over six million tonnes, a 29.3% decrease from the prior year, and yellow maize at 6.716 million tonnes, marking a 15.4% decline. These figures indicate a significant shortfall in domestic maize supply.
The emergence of Goss’s Wilt adds another layer of complexity to an already strained industry, underscoring the need for swift and coordinated action to protect future harvests.
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