Surveillance and monitoring of some major diseases of wheat in Bangladesh with special emphasis on wheat blast- a new disease in Bangladesh

Abstract

An intensive survey was conducted on wheat diseases in 152 farmer’s fields in 36 districts of Bangladesh to assess plant responses of mature plants. During the survey, ten diseases including three majors diseases viz. Bipolaris leaf blight, leaf rust and wheat blast were identified. The maximum prevalence was recorded for Bipolaris leaf blight, with 100% incidence and 28–56% diseased leaf area (DLA). The disease was found on every cultivar in every field with varying levels of severity. Seventy-four percent of the fields surveyed had leaf rust. A significant variation in disease severity was observed among surveyed fields and cultivars. Most of the cultivars showed low to moderate disease severity with moderately susceptible to susceptible (MSS) reactions. Wheat blast, a new disease in Bangladesh, was found in 40% of fields but with low levels of infection. Among the surveyed districts, wheat fields in Bhola had higher levels of blast severity while Naogaon district had the lowest. The major wheat growing districts eg., north-western parts of the country were free from wheat blast. This survey provided fundamental information on the current status of wheat diseases which will allow for more effective management strategies.