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Did you know how this fungus is causing economic losses in wheat and barley around the world?
In agricultural production, the threat of disease has always been an important challenge that growers must face. According to reports, Gibberella zeae, or its asexual form Fusarium graminearum, is considered a major fungal pathogen causing severe economic losses to wheat and barley worldwide. The wheat disease caused by this fungus is called Fusarium Head Blight and causes economic losses of billions of dollars every year. Why is this?
The cruel effects of ear blight
Infection with Gibberella zeae causes changes in the amino acid composition of wheat, resulting in smaller kernels at the ear, and the remaining grain may be contaminated with major toxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) and the estrogenic toxin estrogen (zearalenone), these toxins can cause health hazards to livestock and humans.
Life cycle of Gibberella zeae
The life cycle of Fusarium graminearum is relatively complex. It is a haploid and synthetic ascomycete. The fruit body develops on the hyphae to produce ascospores, which will land on susceptible parts of the plant to germinate, triggering infection. Under the right conditions, F. graminearum can cause severe damage to plants in a short period of time.
Host plants and their symptoms
Gibberella zeae affects not only wheat and barley, but also other crops such as corn and rice. In corn plants, it can cause stem and ear rot, Affected plants will show symptoms such as discolored leaves and soft internodes, while wheat will develop brown necrotic lesions on spikelets.
Infection process
Fusarium graminearum mainly enters through the flowers of plants. The specific process is also quite complicated and has not yet been fully described. Research shows the fungus can enter through natural pores and requires soft tissues such as petals and embryos to infect. Starting from an infected flower, the fungus will grow along the plant's spikes and cause benefits to it.
Management and control strategy
Control of ear blight can be achieved through a combination of strategies, including the use of pesticides, breeding of disease-resistant varieties, proper storage, crop rotation and seed treatment.
Properly applied pesticides can reduce disease by 50% to 60%. However, early spraying can limit ear infection and ensure healthy crop growth.
Importance and Economic Impact
Ear blight not only causes crop yield losses, but also causes seed quality to be reduced due to toxin contamination. These factors combine to make the impact of the disease significant. Take an outbreak in 1982 as an example, which affected 4 million hectares (about 9.9 million acres) of spring wheat and barley in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, and the damage was estimated to be nearly $1 billion.
Revitalizing the Future: What can be improved?
Although genetic research on resistance to F. graminearum has achieved certain results, there are currently no completely disease-resistant varieties available for planting. Research continues to understand the biology of the fungus and its infection process in the hope of identifying weaknesses in its life cycle and developing effective pesticides to protect crops.
Faced with fungi that have such a global impact, should we rethink our agricultural management and response strategies and take more effective measures to reduce future economic losses and health risks?
