Advances in understanding the epidemiology of Septoria tritici blotch in cereals

Authors: Goodwin, Stephen - Steve

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/2021
Publication Date: 12/13/2021
Citation: Goodwin, S.B. 2021. Advances in understanding the epidemiology of Septoria tritici blotch in cereals. Book Chapter.

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: Septoria tritici blotch is a major disease of wheat worldwide. Understanding the epidemiology of the disease and the biology of its causal pathogen, the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici (formerly Mycosphaerella graminicola), is needed to develop methods for disease management. The name of the pathogen has changed considerably over time but now should be finalized with the application of molecular approaches to fungal taxonomy. Availability of a sequenced genome has spurred global research, which has led to much recent progress. The life cycle is now known to include chlamydospores, which can provide a long-lived source of inoculum, and epiphytic growth on the leaf surface, with unknown effects on disease persistence and epidemiology. The basic nutritional style of this pathogen has been considered to be hemibiotrophic, encompassing both biotrophic (extracting nutrients from living tissue) and necrotrophic (digesting dead plant parts) phases, and this has been confirmed by an analysis of the enzymes for breaking down carbohydrates in its genome sequence. Several approaches for diagnosing the disease are available, but Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) may make this process easier when multiple pathogens are present. Although recent progress has been excellent, much more research is needed to fully understand the effects of chlamydospores and epiphytic growth on epidemics and to incorporate the new knowledge into improved methods for controlling Septoria tritici blotch in wheat fields.