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Economic impact associated with Leaf blight damage in buffelgrass seed production in central Sonora, Mexico
Author
Rivera, MM
Ibarra Flores FA
Ibarra Martin, F
Medina, SM
Hernández JE
Publisher
XII International Rangeland Congress
Publication Year
2025
Body

Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) leaf blight is a disease caused by the fungus (Pyricularia grisea), which may kill plants and reduce the quantity and quality of foliage and seeds. The study was conducted on three ranches during 2016-2017 in Sonora, Mexico, to determine the effect of leaf blight on seed production and the economic impact on ranchers. Pastures damaged by the pathogen were selected to evaluate the number of affected plants, plant density, raw and clean seed production, seed cost, net gain from seed sales, and economic loss. Data were analyzed using ANOVA (P <0.05). Precipitation was 10 to 40% above the average at all sites and i n all years of the study. From 46 to 59% of the buffel grass plants showed some damage. Null to very light plant damage was found in 31.5-36.6% of the plants, slight damage in 21.3-42.8%, and moderate damage in 25.7-42.1%. The production of raw seed was affected (P <0.05) by the damage from the fungus and varied from 61.4-81.8 kg/ha for no damage, 46.2-53.8 kg/ha for light damage, and 28.6-36.9 kg/ha for moderate damage. The cost of clean seed for sale averaged $90.00 Mexican pesos during 2017 and 2018, and the clean buffelgrass seed produced differed (P <0.05) among treatments. It averaged 41.27, 30.9, and 17.3 kg/ha for areas with no damage, light damage, and moderate damage, respectively, representing a net profit from seed sales of $3,714.3, $2,781.0, and $1,557.0 pesos/ha for areas with no damage, light damage, and moderate damage, respectively. Therefore, the loss caused by fungal damage was $933.0/ha in areas with light damage and $2,157.3/ha in areas with moderate damage. We concluded that leaf blight affects the seed production of buffelgrass, and necessary measures must be taken to reduce plant and seed damage.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Additional Information
This paper is part of the larger XII International Rangelands Congress Proceedings. Page Numbers: 1137-1141. Theme: Theme 4 / Poster presentations – Theme 4
ISSN
978-0-646-72121-7
Conference Name
International Rangeland Congress
Collection
International Rangelands Congress
Keywords
Pennisetum ciliare
Sonoran Desert
Pyricularia
seed quality