Pyricularia blast on white oats: a new threat to wheat cultivation

Abstract

A newly emerged disease, the Pyricularia blast caused by Pyricularia grisea, is commonly observed on wheat and black oats, since its discovery in 1985. Within a few years the disease spread to other species of Gramineae, but white oat cultivars remained resistant and were the only ones among cultivated cereals resistant to this disease. In 2012, one commercial field of white oat cultivar IAC 7 was found severely attacked by Pyricularia blast in Assis, in the state of Sao Paulo. The objective of the present investigation was to find out whether other white oat cultivars are also susceptible to the new P. grisea isolate from cv. IAC 7 and to determine the pathogenic variability, if any, among P. grisea isolates from black oats. Thirty-three white oat cultivars, along with some cultivars of black oat, barley, wheat, triticale, and rye were evaluated against the IAC 7 isolate. Results of disease severity analysis indicated that four white oat cultivars were resistant, seven were moderately resistant and the remaining were susceptible or highly susceptible. Five wheat cultivars were also resistant. Pathogenic variation among P. grisea isolates from black oats was observed.