Tilletia laevis caused common bunt disease of wheat in district Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan

• Published in: Crop protection Vol. 184; p. 106861
• Main Authors: Delai, Chen, Muhae-Ud-Din, Ghulam, Ruirui, Liu, Zicheng, Liu, Shirong, Ma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2024
• Subjects: First report; Molecular characterization; Pakistan; Teliospore morphology; Tilletia laevis; Wheat common bunt; Tilletia laevis; First report; Pakistan; Wheat common bunt; Molecular characterization; Teliospore morphology
• ISSN: 0261-2194
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2024.106861

Wheat common bunt caused by Tilletia laevis (Kühn) and T. caries (Bjerk.) Wint., is one of the world's most destructive diseases (He et al., 2022). In June 2022, we observed wheat common bunt symptoms in ten fields of city Mingora in Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan (35.2227°N, 72.4258°E) with spring cultivar Galaxy 2013. The corresponding disease heads were collected to isolate and characterized the causal agent of wheat common bunt. Teliospores morphology, germination, and disease symptoms revealed that fungal isolates belong to Tilletia laevis, which cause common bunt disease of wheat. After Koch's postulates, the artificially inoculated plants showed similar symptoms to those observed in the fields with same teliospores morphology and germination. Tilletia laevis was also confirmed through molecular characterization using sequence characterized amplification region (SCAR) markers specific for T. laevis and obtained 660 bp bands from leaves, stem and heads from artificially inoculated plants. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of T. laevis causing common bunt in Mingora, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. •Common bunt of wheat is a serious wheat caused by Tilletia laevis.•Common bunt reported first time in Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.•Confirmation has been done on the base of symptoms, teliospore morphology and SCAR markers.•Chemical seed treatment and resistant varieties are best management practices to control common bunt disease.