Wheat Septoria Disease Management and Molecular Breeding Approaches in Ethiopia: A Review

Abstract

Septoria tritici blotch (STB) caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola, is one of the most important foliar diseases of wheat (T. aestivum spp., aestivum L.) worldwide. The disease is pervasive and economically significant throughout Ethiopia's wheat-growing regions. Naturally susceptible wheat cultivars of STB disease were found in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia, where incidence (98%) and severity (97%) of the disease, as well as yield loss (41%), were documented. This disease has been managed using a variety of techniques, including cultural control, chemical control, and genetic controls have been utilized to control this disease and subsequently reduce yield losses. The lack of information on the diversity of diseases worldwide and in Ethiopia now hampers the screening and selection of wheat genotypes for disease resistance. In this review, wheat septoria disease management and molecular breeding approaches in Ethiopia were assessed.