Wheat Blast: Past, Present, and Future

• Published in: Annual review of phytopathology Vol. 56; no. 1; pp. 427 - 456
• Main Authors: Ceresini, Paulo Cezar, Castroagudín, Vanina Lilián, Rodrigues, Fabrício Ávila, Rios, Jonas Alberto, Eduardo Aucique-Pérez, Carlos, Moreira, Silvino Intra, Alves, Eduardo, Croll, Daniel, Maciel, João Leodato Nunes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Annual Reviews 25.08.2018
• Subjects: Ascomycota - genetics; Ascomycota - physiology; Containment of Biohazards - legislation & jurisprudence; epidemiology; fungal infection; host physiology; integrated disease management strategies; international quarantine; pathogen diversification; Plant Breeding; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plant Diseases - prevention & control; population biology; Pyricularia graminis-tritici; Quarantine - legislation & jurisprudence; Triticum - genetics; Triticum - microbiology; wheat blast origin; epidemiology; host physiology; international quarantine; fungal infection; integrated disease management strategies; population biology; wheat blast origin; Pyricularia graminis-tritici; pathogen diversification
• ISSN: 0066-4286; 1545-2107
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-080417-050036

The devastating wheat blast disease first emerged in Brazil in 1985. The disease was restricted to South America until 2016, when a series of grain imports from Brazil led to a wheat blast outbreak in Bangladesh. Wheat blast is caused by Pyricularia graminis-tritici ( Pygt ), a species genetically distinct from the Pyricularia oryzae species that causes rice blast. Pygt has high genetic and phenotypic diversity and a broad host range that enables it to move back and forth between wheat and other grass hosts. Recombination is thought to occur mainly on the other grass hosts, giving rise to the highly diverse Pygt population observed in wheat fields. This review brings together past and current knowledge about the history, etiology, epidemiology, physiology, and genetics of wheat blast and discusses the future need for integrated management strategies. The most urgent current need is to strengthen quarantine and biosafety regulations to avoid additional spread of the pathogen to disease-free countries. International breeding efforts will be needed to develop wheat varieties with more durable resistance.