Biology and control of cephalosporium stripe of wheat

Cephalosporium stripe, caused by the fungus Cephalosporium gramineum, is the only known vascular wilt disease of small grain cereals. The pathogen causes characteristic striping of leaf blades and sheaths, but can also result in seedling death, stunting, and sterile seed heads (white heads). Cephalosporium stripe is a disease of autumn (fall)-sown wheat, especially in cool and wet production regions. The disease is further favoured by early sowing, reduced tillage practices, low pH soils, and by frost heaving that damages roots. Infections occur almost entirely from spores produced on surface crop debris that are washed into the soil, although a low level of seed transmission can also occur. The pathogen colonizes root epidermis and cortical cells, subsequently moves into the vascular tissue, and eventually spreads throughout the entire plant. Production of fungal toxin(s) and extracellular polysaccharides probably play an important role in pathogenesis. Cultural practices such as delayed sowing, crop rotation, destruction of crop debris, liming of soil and fertilizer management all have potential to reduce the incidence of cephalosporium stripe. All of these cultural practices have negative economic impacts and/or increase soil erosion, and thus there is much interest in the development of resistant cultivars. There is potential for introgression of highly effective resistance from wild species into cultivated wheat. Genes for quantitatively inherited resistance can also be accumulated within cultivated wheat to attain moderate resistance. The continued use of cultivars with moderate resistance will probably be sufficient for long-term control of the disease.