Wheat Blast

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Context (DTE): Recent study established concerning link between climate change and wheat blast.
Currently, it affects 6.4 million hectares of cropland globally.
By 2050, climate change is projected to exacerbate the situation, putting 13.5 million hectares of cropland at risk.

Wheat Blast (WB)

It is a fungal disease caused by the pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype Triticum (MoT).
It was first identified in Brazil in 1985.
It is a fast-acting and devastating disease that poses a significant threat to wheat crops, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions.

Progressive bleaching of heads, where infected spikes show a silvery appearance with a green canopy, turning partially or fully bleached in severe cases.
Infected plants exhibit discoloured stems and leave with dark brown lesions and visible dark grey fungal spores.

It spreads via infected seeds, posing threat to new crops as the fungus can persist within them.
Airborne spores are key in wheat blast transmission, travelling long distances and swiftly infecting nearby wheat fields upon release.
Infected crop residues containing the fungus aid in disease spread by surviving and infecting new plants under favourable conditions.
Warmer temperatures and prolonged leaf moisture aid wheat blast pathogen spread, fostering disease growth.
Also, international wheat trade has been a cause in some countries like Bangladesh and Zambia.

It leads to significant yield reductions, with projections indicating a potential 13% global wheat production decrease.
- Vulnerable regions like South America and Africa could face up to 75% of their wheat acreage at risk by 2050.
WB can incur significant economic losses in certain countries.
- Vulnerable wheat-growing regions in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan could incur potential losses of 886 thousand metric tons of wheat production, amounting to USD 132 million annually.
- E.g. During the 2016 outbreak, an estimated total wheat production loss of approximately 8,205 tons, worth USD 2.1 million, was recorded.
The spread of WB poses a threat to global food security, particularly in regions experiencing growing wheat consumption.

Develop and promote wheat varieties resistant to WB.
Combine race non-specific resistance genes to enhance durability.
Fungicide spray applications can help manage WB.
Strictly regulate the movement of contaminated plant material and farm equipment.
Implement practices to break the disease cycle.
Properly manage crop residues to reduce disease transmission.
Use early warning systems to predict disease outbreaks.
Investigate biological control agents to suppress WB (Beneficial microorganisms or natural enemies can play a role).