Silicon Alleviates Changes in the Source-Sink Relationship of Wheat Plants Infected by Pyricularia oryzae.

Blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae, has become a devastating disease on wheat in several countries worldwide. Growers need alternative methods for blast management, and silicon (Si) stands out for its potential to decrease the intensity of important diseases in several crops. This study investigated the effect of Si on improving photoassimilate production on flag leaves of wheat plants and their partitioning to spikes in a scenario where blast symptoms decreased as a result of potentiation of defense mechanisms by Si. Wheat plants (cultivar BRS Guamirim) were grown in hydroponic culture with 0 or 2 mM Si and inoculated with P. oryzae at 10 days after anthesis. The Si concentration on flag leaves and spikes of Si-supplied plants increased and resulted in lower blast symptoms. High concentrations of total soluble phenols and lignin-thioglycolic acid derivatives and greater peroxidase, polyphenoloxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, ß-1,3-glucanase, and chitinase activity occurred on flag leaves and spikes of Si-supplied plants and increased their resistance to blast. The concentration of photosynthetic pigments decreased and the photosynthetic performance of infected flag leaves and spikes from plants not supplied with Si was impaired for chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters including maximal photosystem II quantum efficiency, fraction of energy absorbed used in photochemistry, quantum yield of nonregulated energy dissipation, and quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation. The concentration of soluble sugars was lower on infected flag leaves and spikes from plants not supplied with Si, whereas the hexose-to-sucrose ratio increased on infected flag leaves. Sucrose-phosphate synthase activity was lower and acid invertase activity was higher on flag leaves and spikes of plants not supplied with Si, respectively, compared with Si-supplied plants. The starch concentration on spikes of Si-supplied plants increased. In conclusion, Si showed a beneficial effect in improving the source-sink relationship of infected flag leaves and spikes by preserving alterations in assimilate production and partitioning during the grain filling process.

Wheat blast: from its origins in South America to its emergence as a global threat.

Wheat blast was first reported in Brazil in 1985. It spread rapidly across the wheat cropping areas of Brazil to become the most important biotic constraint on wheat production in the region. The alarming appearance of wheat blast in Bangladesh in 2016 greatly increased the urgency to understand this disease, including its causes and consequences. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge of wheat blast and aim to identify the most important gaps in our understanding of the disease. We also propose a research agenda that aims to improve the management of wheat blast and limit its threat to global wheat production.

Wheat Blast: Past, Present, and Future.

The devastating wheat blast disease first emerged in Brazil in 1985. The disease was restricted to South America until 2016, when a series of grain imports from Brazil led to a wheat blast outbreak in Bangladesh. Wheat blast is caused by Pyricularia graminis-tritici ( Pygt), a species genetically distinct from the Pyricularia oryzae species that causes rice blast. Pygt has high genetic and phenotypic diversity and a broad host range that enables it to move back and forth between wheat and other grass hosts. Recombination is thought to occur mainly on the other grass hosts, giving rise to the highly diverse Pygt population observed in wheat fields. This review brings together past and current knowledge about the history, etiology, epidemiology, physiology, and genetics of wheat blast and discusses the future need for integrated management strategies. The most urgent current need is to strengthen quarantine and biosafety regulations to avoid additional spread of the pathogen to disease-free countries. International breeding efforts will be needed to develop wheat varieties with more durable resistance.

Limitations to photosynthesis in leaves of wheat plants infected by Pyricularia oryzae.

Blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae, has become an economically important disease in wheat in Brazil, but little effort has been devoted to understanding the wheat-P. oryzae interaction. This study was intended to determine the effects of P. oryzae infection on the photosynthetic process in wheat plants using a susceptible (BR 18) and a partially resistant cultivar (BRS 229). It was found that the net carbon assimilation rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate were dramatically reduced in both cultivars due to P. oryzae infection but to a lesser degree in BRS 229. Photosynthesis was impaired in asymptomatic leaf tissues, indicating that blast severity is not an acceptable indicator for predicting P. oryzae-induced reductions in A. The proportionally larger decreases in A than in gs, in parallel with increases in internal CO2 concentration (Ci), suggest that the lower influx of CO2 into the diseased leaves caused by stomatal closure was not a prominent factor associated with the reduction in A. Additional support for this conclusion comes from the nonsignificant correlation between A and gs, the negative correlation between A and Ci and the positive correlation between blast severity and Ci. Both the maximum rate of carboxylation and the maximum rate of electron transport were dramatically depressed at advanced stages of P. oryzae infection, mainly in BR 18, although the reduction in A was not closely related to the decrease in the electron transport rate. In conclusion, biochemical limitations likely related to the reduced activity of Rubisco, rather than diffusive limitations, were the main factor associated with decreases in A during the infection process of P. oryzae on wheat leaves.

Biochemical changes in the leaves of wheat plants infected by Pyricularia oryzae.

Blast, caused by the fungus Pyricularia oryzae, is a major disease of the wheat crop in the Brazilian Cerrado and represents a potential threat to world wheat production. However, information about the wheat-P. oryzae interaction is still limited. In this work, the activities of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and the concentrations of superoxide (O2(-)), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as the electrolyte leakage (EL) were studied in wheat plants 'BR 18' and 'BRS 229', which are susceptible and partially resistant, respectively, to leaf blast at the vegetative growth stage, during the infection process of P. oryzae. The blast severity in BRS 229 was 50% lower than in BR 18 at 96 h after inoculation (hai). The activities of SOD, POX, APX, and GST increased for both cultivars in the inoculated plants compared with noninoculated plants and the increases were more pronounced for BRS 229 than for BR 18 at 96 hai. The GR and CAT activities only increased in inoculated plants from BRS 229 at 96 hai. For BR 18, the GR activity was not influenced by plant inoculation, and the CAT activity was lower in inoculated plants. The GPX activity only increased in inoculated plants from BR 18 at 48 and 72 hai. The P. oryzae infection increased the O2(-), H2O2, and MDA concentrations and EL. However, the greater increases of the SOD, POX, APX, GST, GR, and CAT activities for BRS 229 compared with BR 18 contributed to the lower O2(-), H2O2, and MDA concentrations and EL verified in the former. These results show that a more efficient antioxidative system in the removal of excess of reactive oxygen species generated during the infection process of P. oryzae limits the cellular damage caused by the fungus, thus contributing to greater wheat resistance to blast.

Silicato de potássio, acibenzolar-S-metil e fungicidas no controle da ferrugem da soja / Potassium silicate, acibenzolar-S-methyl and fungicides on the control of soybean rust

A produção da soja pode ser afetada pela ocorrência de várias doenças. Dentre estas, a ferrugem, causada pelo fungo Phakopsora pachyrhizi, tem se destacado. Atualmente, novas estratégias de controle para essa doença devem ser pesquisadas. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência do silicato de potássio (KSi), acibenzolar-S-metil e fungicidas no controle da ferrugem da soja. Um experimento foi conduzido em condições de campo, em delineamento em blocos ao acaso, utilizando-se 10 tratamentos, com três repetições. Foi utilizada a cultivar 'Monarca' por ser suscetível à ferrugem. Os tratamentos utilizados foram: T1 - testemunha (pulverização com água); T2 - KSi (1,2kg ha-1); T3 - KSi (2,4kg ha-1); T4 - KSi (3,6kg ha-1); T5 - KSi (4,8kg ha-1); T6 - tebuconazole (125g de i.a. ha-1); T7 - cloreto de potássio (61,72g L-1); T8 - mancozebe (2400g de i.a. ha-1); T9 - mancozebe (2400g de i.a. ha-1) + KSi (1,2kg ha-1) e T10 - acibenzolar-S-metil (125g de i.a. ha-1). As plantas da bordadura foram inoculadas com uma suspensão de 5x10(5) uredosporos mL-1 no estádio V4 para constituírem fonte de inóculo, para as parcelas centrais. As plantas foram pulverizadas com os produtos que constituíram os tratamentos T2, T3, T4, T5, T7, T8 e T9 nos estádios V5, R1, R4 e R5.4 e os tratamentos T6 e T10 nos estádios R1, R4 e R5.4. As plantas foram pulverizadas com atomizador costal manual de bico cônico empregando-se um volume de calda de 200L ha-1. Foram realizadas cinco avaliações da severidade da ferrugem nos terços inferior, médio e superior das plantas utilizando-se uma escala diagramática variando de 0,6 a 78,5 por cento, e os dados obtidos foram utilizados para calcular a área abaixo da curva do progresso da ferrugem (AACPF). Não houve efeito significativo das doses de KSi na AACPF e severidade máxima (Ymax) nos terços inferior, médio e superior das plantas, além da produtividade. Os tratamentos 8, 9 e 10 apresentaram eficiência intermediária ...

Soybean production can be affected by the occurrence of several diseases. Among them, the rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, has been outstanding. Nowadays, new strategies to control soybean rust need to be searched. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of potassium silicate (KSi), acibenzolar-S-methyl and some fungicides on the control of soybean rust. An experiment was carried out under field conditions in a randomized complete block design with 10 treatments and three replications. The cultivar 'Monarca' was used because it is susceptible to rust. The treatments used were: T1 - control (plants sprayed with water); T2 - KSi (1.2kg ha-1); T3 - KSi (2.4kg ha-1); T4 - KSi (3.6kg ha-1); T5 - KSi (4.8kg ha-1); T6 - tebuconazol (125g de a.i. ha-1); T7 - potassium cloride (61.72g L-1); T8 - mancozeb (2400g de a.i. ha-1); T9 - mancozeb (2400g de a.i. ha-1) + KSi (1.2kg ha-1) and T10 - acibenzolar-S-methyl (125g de a.i. ha-1). Plants from the two lateral lines were inoculated with a suspension of 5x10(5) uredospores/mL at the V4 growth stage to produce inoculum to infect plants at the two central lines. Plants were sprayed with the products that constituted the treatments T2, T3, T4, T5, T7, T8, and T9 at V5, R1, R4, and R5.4 growth stages; and the treatments T6 and T10 at R1, R4, and R5.4 growth stages. Plants were sprayed using a costal sprayer in a volume of 200L ha-1. A total of five disease severity evaluations at the low, medium and high part of the plant canopy were done using a diagrammatic scale ranging from 0.6 to 78.5 percent. Data were used to calculate the area under rust progress curve (AURPC). There was no effect of the KSi rates on AURPC and final disease severity (Ymax) at the low, medium and high part of the plant canopy. Yield was also unaffected. The treatments 8, 9, and 10 had an intermediary efficiency on rust control. The treatment 6 was the most efficient on rust control giving the lowest ...