Pillars of Integrated Disease Management

Wheat blast: from its origins in South America to its emergence as a global threat

“…In South‐East Asia, jute ( Corchorus olitorius ) cultivation could be an option for crop rotation (Government of India, ). Altering the sowing date to prevent an overlap between flowering or grain filling stages and blast‐conducive periods characterized by high temperatures, rain and high relative humidity is an effective cultural practice to manage wheat blast in South America (Coelho et al ., ; Mehta, ; Mehta et al ., ). Field experiments designed to dissect the epidemiology of wheat blast will be needed to determine which of these strategies will have the greatest impact.…”

“…Integrated disease management (IDM) strategies will be needed to minimize crop losses without impacting environmental sustainability (Mehta, ). The implementation of IDM tactics should be organized locally, taking into account the particular conditions of each affected region (Mehta, ).…”

“…Integrated disease management (IDM) strategies will be needed to minimize crop losses without impacting environmental sustainability (Mehta, ). The implementation of IDM tactics should be organized locally, taking into account the particular conditions of each affected region (Mehta, ). These tactics should be based on a knowledge of the pathogen’s population biology and epidemiology, including its disease cycle, survival strategy, means of dispersal, host range, main reproductive mode(s) and the weather conditions most conducive for disease development.…”

“…Weedy grass hosts appear to play a key role as bridges between wheat fields and cropping seasons and as sources of primary and/or secondary inoculum. Reducing the population of known weed hosts within and nearby wheat fields may be difficult to implement, but could reduce local Pygt inoculum (Mehta, ). It appears that Pygt can survive and produce sexual fruiting bodies (perithecia) on crop residues between wheat cropping seasons (Castroagudín et al ., ; Urashima and Kato, ).…”

“…Consequently, the use of certified pathogen‐free seeds, or fungicide‐treated wheat seeds, should be mandatory for both internal seed markets and for export from countries with wheat blast (Toledo, ). In Brazil, wheat seed fungicide treatments were mandated by law (Mehta, ), but, since the 1970s, the legislation has been relaxed and seed health testing has been neglected (Mehta, ). This decreased vigilance facilitated the dispersal of seed‐borne Pygt inoculum across Brazil’s wheat cropping areas, as well as into Bolivia and Paraguay, through frequent imports of Brazilian wheat seed used for sowing (Ceresini et al ., ).…”