Christian D. Cruz

Preliminary Assessment of Resistance Among U.S. Wheat Cultivars to the Triticum Pathotype of Magnaporthe oryzae

Magnaporthe oryzae is the causal agent of blast disease on several graminaceous plants. The M. oryzae population causing wheat blast has not been officially reported outside South America. Wheat production in the United States is at risk to this pathogen if it is introduced and established. Proactive testing of U.S. wheat cultivars for their reaction to blast and identification of resistance resources is crucial due to the national and global importance of the U.S. wheat industry. In this preliminary study, the phenotypic reaction of 85 U.S. wheat cultivars to M. oryzae (Triticum pathotype) was determined. Although there was a significant correlation in the reaction to blast at the seedling and adult plant stages, only 57% of the head reaction was explained by the seedling reaction. Because of the importance of disease development at the head stage in the field, assessment of all 85 cultivars occurred at the head stage. Among cultivars tested, a continuum in severity to head blast was observed; cultivars Everest and Karl 92 were highly susceptible with more than 90% disease severity, while cultivars Postrock, JackPot, Overley, Jagalene, Jagger, and Santa Fe showed less than 3% infection. No evidence of the presence of physiological races among isolates T-7, T-12, T-22, and T-25 was found.

Impact of Brown Spot Caused by Septoria glycines on Soybean in Ohio

Brown spot, caused by Septoria glycines, is the most common foliar disease of soybean in Ohio, but its economic impact has not been assessed on modern cultivars. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the effect of S. glycines on soybean yield and (ii) evaluate the efficacy of strobilurin- and triazole-based fungicides on the control of brown spot. Yield loss associated with S. glycines was determined using weekly applications of chlorothalonil. The efficacy of azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, and flutriafol alone and in combinations were also assessed using applications at the R3 and R5 growth stages at two locations over 3 years. Significantly different levels of brown spot developed following applications of chlorothalonil, with mean yield differences between treated and nontreated plots ranging from 196 to 293 kg/ha. Pyraclostrobin and azoxystrobin applied at the R3 growth stage significantly reduced final levels of brown spot; however, significant increases in yield occurred in only three of the six location-years. Triazoles, flutriafol and tebuconazole, applied at R3 or R5 did not significantly decrease levels of brown spot or impact yield. More data on the accurate timing of fungicides are still required to establish a long-term management program for this disease, and resistance to brown spot should be monitored in soybean cultivar development to prevent future yield losses.

Wheat blast disease: danger on the move

Wheat blast is caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum pathotype (MoT). The potential for wheat blast to cause widespread losses demands immediate action to understand and manage this explosive disease. The recent appearance of wheat blast in Bangladesh demonstrates the threat of global spread, which could occur via the movement of infected seed or grain. MoT mainly infects wheat heads, with symptoms closely resembling Fusarium head blight. To date, wheat blast is considered an intractable and dangerous disease and fungicides have shown limited efficacy. Disease management requires identification of new resistance sources and a complete understanding of MoT ecology and wheat blast epidemiology. Understanding the full potential for pathogen variability, including any role for sexual reproduction in the field, is critical. A small number of pathogen avirulence (AVR) genes block other host-adapted M. oryzae pathotypes from infecting wheat; so potential AVR gene mutations leading to new host jumps remain a threat. Indeed, some strains of the closely related Lolium pathotype, causing gray leaf spot of turf grasses, already infect wheat. This review provides the current status of wheat blast research and disease control strategies indicating similarities and differences to rice blast and gray leaf spot. Critical knowledge gaps are discussed.

Climate Suitability for Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum Pathotype in the United States

Wheat blast, caused by the Triticum pathotype of Magnaporthe oryzae, is an emerging disease considered to be a limiting factor to wheat production in various countries. Given the importance of wheat blast as a high-consequence plant disease, weather-based infection models were used to estimate the probabilities of M. oryzae Triticum establishment and wheat blast outbreaks in the United States. The models identified significant disease risk in some areas. With the threshold levels used, the models predicted that the climate was adequate for maintaining M. oryzae Triticum populations in 40% of winter wheat production areas of the United States. Disease outbreak threshold levels were only reached in 25% of the country. In Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida, the probability of years suitable for outbreaks was greater than 70%. The models generated in this study should provide the foundation for more advanced models in the future, and the results reported could be used to prioritize research efforts regarding the biology of M. oryzae Triticum and the epidemiology of the wheat blast disease.