Blast (Magnaporthe grisea), the most serious and widely spread disease of fi nger millet, affects the crop at all growth stages. It causes lesions and premature drying of young leaves. Blast can also affect the whole panicle or just a few fi ngers, preventing the grain from setting or causing the seeds to shrivel. Though farmers are aware of the disease and its impacts on fi nger millet productivity, none of them know of an effi cient coping strategy. The use of cultural (uprooting and burning infected plants) and chemical options to mitigate the effects of blast, though plausible, is limited by effi ciency and cost implications.