Blast (Magnaporthe grisea) is an economically important disease of finger millet in India. The cross infectivity of M. grisea isolates of leaf, neck and finger blast from finger millet can infect weed host viz., Pennisetum cenchroides, Pennisetum pureum and Cynodon dactylon but not the rice, foxtail millet and little millet. The vice versa pattern of cross infection were observed between the leaf, neck and finger blast pathogens. This shows that the weed management is more important in finger millet fields to manage the blast disease and growing of finger millet adjacent to weed host is dangerous for blast epidemics in finger millet since weed host viz., P. cenchroides, P. pureum and C. dactylon serves as the source of inoculums. | Host range and cross infectivity of the genus Magnaporthe grisea
