Chinese Bulletin of Botany

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Research Progress on Gray Leaf Spot of Maize

Xuantao Wen1, 2, Lin Yang1, Junping Yang1, Jie Chen1, Yan Li1, Xiao Zhang2, Shibin Gao2,  Wenzhu He1*, Yonghui Zhu1*   

  1. 1Crop Germplasm Innovation and Genetic Improvement Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Crop Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, 610066, China; 2Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

  • Received:2025-07-25 Revised:2025-11-06 Online:2025-12-16 Published:2025-12-16
  • Contact: Wenzhu He, Yonghui Zhu

Abstract: Gray leaf spot (GLS) of maize, caused by fungi of the genus Cercospora, is a foliar disease that occurs frequently in major maize-producing regions such as Southwest and Northeast China, severely threatening the safety of maize production Maize resistance to GLS is a complex quantitative trait controlled by multiple genes and is highly susceptible to environmental influences. This review briefly elaborates on the regional distribution characteristics of different GLS-causing pathogens in the northern and southern maize-growing regions of China, as well as the transmission and infection pathways of the pathogens, the conditions for disease occurrence, and symptom manifestations. It also summarizes chemical control strategies and the identified maize resistant germplasm resources. Emphasis is placed on summarizing the research progress regarding hotspots of GLS resistance quantitative trait locus (QTL) sites, resistance candidate genes, and the disease resistance mechanisms of cloned genes. This review provides a theoretical basis for in-depth research on the mechanisms of maize resistance to GLS and the breeding of GLS-resistant maize varieties.

Key words: Maize, Gray leaf spot, Quantitative trait locus, Molecular mechanism