Preliminary survey on the global importance of wheat pests and pathogens

Authors: Goodwin, Stephen - Steve

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/2019
Publication Date: 5/20/2019
Citation: Goodwin, S.B. 2019. Preliminary survey on the global importance of wheat pests and pathogens. Meeting Abstract. International Symposium on Cereal Leaf Blights / Expert Working Group on Wheat Pests and Diseases, May 20-26, 2019, Dublin, Ireland.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Pests and diseases of wheat cause significant losses of grain every year. Limited surveys have been carried out in some countries and regions, but overall very little is known about the incidence and severity of wheat pests and diseases globally or the levels of resistance to commonly applied chemical controls in pest and pathogen populations. To address this lack of knowledge, the Expert Working Group on Wheat Pests and Diseases is compiling a global list of researchers and conducting a survey to identify the incidence and severity of the five most important diseases highlighted in previous analyses. Part of the effort will be to develop a set of multiplex primers for identification of five prominent foliar pathogens that can be difficult to distinguish by eye. The survey will be distributed to those on the global directory and the responses tallied by the EWG. Operational requirements for global disease testing and mechanisms for conducting tests in regional laboratories will be discussed. Compilation of a global directory of wheat pest and pathogen workers will be of use to scientists worldwide for establishing collaborations and fostering coordinated research. The survey information about the incidence and severity of wheat diseases can be used by administrators and plant pathologists to target research efforts, and the global sampling will provide unambiguous data about which diseases are causing losses in each country or region. A globally accepted set of multiplex PCR primers for identifying the major wheat pathogens will be a great asset to collect and compare disease presence among locations. This project will establish a network and operational structure for mitigating future losses to the major pests and pathogens of wheat.