Update on the global survey of wheat pests and pathogens

Authors: Goodwin, Stephen - Steve

Submitted to: International Wheat Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/28/2019
Publication Date: 7/21/2019
Citation: Goodwin, S.B. 2019. Update on the global survey of wheat pests and pathogens. International Wheat Congress/Expert Working Group on Wheat Pests and Diseases. 21 July 2019, Saskatoon, Canada.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Pests and diseases of wheat cause significant losses of grain every year, yet little is known about the incidence and severity of wheat pests and diseases in most countries of the world or the levels of resistance in pest and pathogen populations to commonly applied chemical controls. This is particularly problematic for foliar diseases caused by fungi that often co-occur and can be difficult to distinguish even by experienced plant pathologists. To address this lack of knowledge, the Expert Working Group on Wheat Pests and Diseases is conducting a global survey on the incidence and severity of the five-six most important leaf-blotch diseases highlighted in previous analyses. Part of the effort will involve surveying wheat pathologists to indicate which diseases cause the most problems in their area, followed with sampling of infected leaves and analyses with a standardized set of PCR primers to verify the visual diagnoses and identify any pathogens that were misidentified, were at low levels or might be persisting as endophytes and thus missed by traditional visual disease estimates. Operational difficulties such as which countries and laboratories can host analysis centers and how to deal with potential quarantine issues will be discussed. This project will establish baseline levels on losses to the major pests and pathogens of wheat and will foster collaboration among global research laboratories for more efficient uses of existing resources.