A survey conducted during 1979–81 in Bangladesh revealed 20 rice diseases, including two viral, two bacterial, 13 fungal, two nematode and one micronutrient deficiency problem. Of these diseases. 16 appeared as major during the period under report. The number of diseases were 17, 16 and 16 during theBoro. Ausand transplantAmanseasons, respectively, with 12 common in all three seasons. Thirteen diseases including bacterial blight, bacterial leaf streak, sheath blight, sheath rot, blast, brown spot, grain spot, stem rot and leaf scald were classified as major; and tungro, bakanae, cercospora leaf spot and zinc‐deficiency were classified as either major or minor, and were common to all regions. Diseases not common in all regions were stack burn, root knot, and ufra classified as major or minor, and false smut, seedling blight. Yellow dwarf and damping off which were always classified as minor. Diseases which were typical forBoro. Ausand transplantAmanseasons were seedling blight and damping off. Yellow dwarf, and false smut respectively.Austhe most humid and warmest season, and the coastal humid areas experienced more major diseases. Seasonal and regional differences in the disease incidence appeared related to agro‐climatic variations.