Victorian clue to wheat diseases

NEW ANALYSIS of crop diseases on wheat samples from 1843 could provide a better understanding of current pathogen pressures, say scientists.

The investigation found that changes in atmospheric emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) affected the populations of two fungal species causing Septoria leaf blotch – Phaeosphaeria nodorum and Mycosphaerella graminicola.

Samples of material archived as part of Rothamsted‘s Broadbalk experiment were used in the study.

Extracting detailed genetic information from this material allows experts to identify different genes in the fungus and will be useful in predicting future changes, said Rothamsted‘s John Lucas.

“We are effectively looking at pathogen evolution. If we can find mutations that lead to fungicide resistance, for example, this will help us understand how things might change in future.

“This may help us predict how septoria pathogen populations behave under different selection pressures and how deploying resistant varieties will affect it,” he said.

Similar research on a wider range of organisms could help assess the impact of environmental change on biodiversity or predict disease outbreaks, added the project‘s Bart Fraaije.

But the findings are not just limited to understanding the impact of climate change, added Prof Lucas. They also help understand the impact of changes in varieties, fertiliser and pesticide use, he said.