Diseases

Helminthosporium leaf blight — common wheat

Triticum aestivum L.

A disease complex of common wheat caused by the fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana (teleomorph Cochliobolus sativus), manifesting as dark brown leaf spotting, root rot, and grain infection.

In the reference 16 varieties crop Bread wheat, where this is mentioned in the description.

The primary causal agent of Helminthosporium leaf blight in common wheat is the fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoemaker, whose perfect stage is known as Cochliobolus sativus (Ito et Kurib.) Drechsler ex Dastur. The pathogen causes systemic infection of the plant at all stages of development.

Symptoms include browning of the coleoptile, stem bases, and leaf sheaths in seedlings, leading to plant death or stunted growth. Elongated dark brown spots, often covered with an olive-brown mold, form on the leaves. Infection of the lower stem nodes leads to lodging, while grain infection results in 'black point' and surface spotting.

The pathogen population is genetically heterogeneous; however, a clear classification into pathotypes is absent in practical agronomy. In breeding, resistance to Helminthosporium leaf blight is assessed primarily phenotypically, as specific resistance genes, such as Lr or Sr genes, are not standardized in broad practice.

General information about the subject — on the page Helminthosporiosis.

Sources8

Varieties of Bread wheat mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.