A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Sun 5 May 2024
Source: Agriland [summ. Mod.DHA, edited]
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/tillage-the-heightened-threat-of-take-all-in-barley-crops/
A new agronomy guide from BASF is confirming the heightened risk of take-all in winter barley crops, if they follow a first wheat. This is an issue addressed by ADAS [Agricultural Development and Advisory Service].
Take-all generally affects yield where susceptible crops are grown for 2 or more years in a row. Winter barley in Ireland and the UK tends to be grown in the second 'slot', often after first wheats. This situation tends to be where take-all pressure is highest. Barley is often sown in this rotational position, as it is more tolerant of take-all than wheat. Spring barley can also be affected by take-all when sown after a susceptible crop. In affected barley crops, yield losses can amount to 0.5 t/ha.
The degree of yield loss due to take-all is severely impacted by weather factors. Rainfall is the key parameter. Varietal tolerance and chemical options for take-all are limited, so reducing the severity and impact is largely dependent on cultural control approaches. Extending the rotation is the most effective way to manage take-all. Applying nitrogen early encourages early root growth which will reduce the impact of take-all; adequate levels of phosphorus and potash are conducive to good early growth. Greater soil fertility tends to reduce the impact of the disease.
[Byline: Richard Halleron]
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Communicated by:
ProMED
[Take-all of wheat and barley is caused by the fungus _Gaeumannomyces tritici_ (previously _G. graminis_ var. _tritici_). It can cause severe yield losses of up to 50 percent and grain quality is reduced. The pathogen was first recognised in Australia in 1852. Take-all is considered the most serious root disease of cereals worldwide but appears to be restricted to temperate areas.
Disease symptoms may include rotting of roots and lower stems, stunting of plants, whitened seed heads, shrivelled grains, reduced tillering, and sterile spikes. Infection can occur throughout the crop cycle. Disease development is favoured by cool soil temperatures, alkaline or nutrient-deficient soils, nitrate, as well as minimum tilling practices. Disease severity is expressed as take-all index (TAI), which is calculated as the proportion of nodal root systems with symptoms.
The pathogen is soil borne and persists on crop debris in the soil. Volunteer cereal plants and grasses may serve as pathogen reservoirs. Disease management relies primarily on cultural practices (such as crop rotation with non-hosts, moderate planting density, control of reservoir hosts, field drainage) as well as phytosanitation to minimise carry-over of inoculum to subsequent crops. Fungicides are being used as seed treatments but are not very effective against soil-borne fungi. No varieties of wheat or barley exist at present with specific resistance to take-all. Further research is being carried out (ProMED post 20210330.8277006 and see link below); _Triticum monococcum_, one of the ancestors of modern cultivated wheats (_T. aestivum_, _T. turgidum_), has been shown as a potential source of take-all resistance genes.
Some decline in disease severity ("take-all decline") has been reported after a few years of successive wheat or barley crops. This is thought to be due to the development of environmental microorganisms antagonistic to the fungus, but does not return yields to the level of uninfected crops.
The related _G. avenae_ affects oats, _G. maydis_ affects maize, and _G. graminis_ affects rice (ProMED post 20150910.3635557) and a range of grasses.
Pictures
Take-all symptoms on wheat:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4147/5072208132_825a07ab62_z.jpg,
http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/bpp/Plant_Clinic/images/wheat,%20takeall.jpg,
https://bugwoodcloud.org/images/1536x1024/5558477.jpg and
https://s3.amazonaws.com/soilquality-production/resources/38/original/Biol_-_Take_All_fig3.PNG
Affected wheat fields:
http://www.aafarmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Wheat-infected-with-take-all.jpg,
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/sites/gateway/files/styles/original/public/Take-all_view.jpg and
https://stmaaprodfwsite.blob.core.windows.net/assets/sites/1/2019/08/2-take-all-in-wheat-D9_02566-c-Blackthorn-Arable.jpg
Links
Information on take-all of cereals (with pictures):
https://ahdb.org.uk/take-all,
https://www.soilquality.org.au/factsheets/take-all-disease,
https://www.fwi.co.uk/arable/crop-management/disease-management/how-tackling-take-all-can-lift-winter-barley-yields,
https://cropscience.bayer.co.uk/threats/diseases/cereal-diseases/take-all/ and
http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/php/diagnosticguide/take-all/
Research on take-all resistance (review):
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2021.02.009
_G. tritici_ taxonomy and synonyms:
http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=816900 and
https://www.speciesfungorum.org/GSD/GSDspecies.asp?RecordID=816900
Taxonomy and current species list of _Gaeumannomyces_ via:
http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/Names.asp
ADAS:
https://adas.co.uk/
- Mod.DHA]
See Also
2022
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Take-all, wheat - Ireland: (CO) 20220908.8705472
2021
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Take-all, wheat - UK: research 20210330.8277006
2015
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Crown sheath rot, rice - Costa Rica: (GU) 20150910.3635557
2008
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Fungal diseases, wheat, oilseed rape - UK 20080930.3083
Fungal diseases, cereals - UK, Ireland: update 20080428.1460
2007
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Take-all, cereal crops - UK 20070808.2578
2000
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Take-all disease, wheat - Australia (02) 20001021.1822
Take-all disease, wheat - Australia 20001017.177
Topics
Species
