Observations on sugarcane disease in Morocco

SUGAR CANE CULTIVATION IS AN EXCELLENT CROP TO STUDY BECAUSE IT WILL GROW ON HEAVY SOILS; IT SURVIVES WINTER FLOODING; AND IT GROWS AS A MONOCULTURE. THE CROP CAN BE LEFT STANDING TWO OR THREE YEARS; IT IS TOLERANT TO SLIGHTLY INCREASED SALT CONTROL; IT SUFFERS FROM FEW LEAF DISEASES; IT SHADES OUT COMPETING WEEDS; AND SUGAR CANE BEGASSE CAN BE USED TO PROVIDE ENERGY FOR SUGAR PRODUCTION. SUGAR CANE MOSAIC IS THE ONLY MAJOR SUGAR CANE DISEASE IN MOROCCO. THIS REPORT DESCRIBES THE SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENTS FOR THE FOLLOWING SUGAR CANE DISEASE AND DISORDERS: RATOON STUNTING DISEASE, STUBBLE-PIECE AND ROOT DISEASES, DISEASE OF THE STALK, LEAF SPOTS, PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS OF LEAVES, STUNTING, AND JOHNSONGRASS. THE SUGAR CANE EXPERIMENTS STUDIED WERE IN THE GHARB, LOUKKOS, AND THE MOULOUYA. THE REPORT CONCLUDES WITH THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINTAINING THE HEALTH OF SUGAR CANE IN MOROCCO: INDEX THE CANE TO DETERMINE MORE DEFINITELY IF RATOON STUNTING DISEASE IS PRESENT; CONTINUE RIGOROUS QUARANTINE OF ALL CANE BROUGHT INTO MOROCCO; AND MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO PREVENT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF JOHNSON-GRASS IN THE SUGAR CANE.