Arguments for a low risk of establishment of Karnal bunt disease of wheat in Europe

Tilletia indica, which causes Karnal bunt of wheat, has been perceived as a pathogen that has a high risk of establishment in the UK and other countries in Europe. This viewpoint is challenged with arguments for the risk of establishment being much lower. The present distribution of the pathogen and its likely widespread dissemination with consignments of germplasm and wheat seed from Mexico over a 20 year period without establishment outside the hot arid and semi-arid zones strongly suggests that T. indica is unsuited to environments other than those similar to where it is now found. A critical density of teliospores needs to remain viable and ungerminated between periods of wheat anthesis and then germinate during a narrow window of opportunity to ensure infection and establishment. Despite the results of outdoor teliospore longevity experiments, it is by no means certain that this can occur under European conditions. Generally cooler conditions and more frequent periods of rain in Europe are likely to trigger teliospore germination at times unsuitable for infection making establishment much more unlikely. A model based on year-round soil conditions, especially moisture content, is seen as appropriate to predict teliospore survival and germination potential. It is only after areas where teliospores can survive and germinate in sufficient numbers to guarantee regular infection cycles have been defined can another model, based on temperature, rainfall and/or humidity prior to anthesis, be applied to determine if environmental conditions are suitable for infection. David Jones is a retired employee of the Central Science Laboratory (CSL). Statements and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and are not the views of the Central Science Laboratory.     

A disease and production index (DPI) for selection of cacao (Theobroma cacao) clones highly productive and tolerant to pod rot diseases

Frosty pod rot (FPR) (Moniliophthora roreri), along with black pod rot (Phytophthora species) and witches’ broom disease (Moniliophthora perniciosa) constitute the main phytosanitary problems limiting cacao (Theobroma cacao) production causing severe yield losses. One of the main sought after methods of pod rot management is the selection of tolerant cacao genotypes. Typically, the selection is carried out through the quantification of the percentage of diseased pods (PDP). However, PDP does not consider the relative productivity, or production potential (PT) of the genotype. Production potential can vary among cacao genotypes. Consequently, genotypes with similar PT can have similar or vastly different disease tolerance levels as measured by PDP. The disease and production index (DPI) was developed to integrate a genotype's tolerance to M. roreri and other diseases as measured by PDP, with its PT. Here, we evaluated the number of healthy pods, number of diseased pods, and weight of fresh seed for 29 clones grown in replicated five-tree plots over 4 years. The data obtained was used to calculate PDP and DPI for each clone for three different disease combinations: frosty pod rot alone, pod rots other than frosty pod rot, and the combination of all pod rots. Multivariate analysis verified that DPI discriminated between clones based on productivity and disease tolerance. Surprisingly, there was a close ranking of clones between resistance to FPR and resistance to all other pod rots. The DPI can be used in breeding programmes focused on the selection of high yielding disease-tolerant cacao genotypes.