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Distribution, Etiology, Molecular Genetics and Management Perspectives of Northern Corn Leaf Blight of Maize (Zea mays L.)

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Title Distribution, Etiology, Molecular Genetics and Management Perspectives of Northern Corn Leaf Blight of Maize (Zea mays L.)
 
Creator M. Ashraf Ahangar
Shabir Hussain Wani
Zahoor A. Dar
Jan Roohi
Fayaz Mohiddin1
Monika Bansal
Mukesh Choudhary
Sumit Kumar Aggarwal
S. A. Waza
Khursheed Ahmad Dar
Ayman El Sabagh
Celaleddin Barutcular
Omer Konuşkan
Mohammad Anwar Hossain
 
Subject Northern corn leaf blight; etiology; Exherohilum turcicum; pathogenic variability; disease resistance; management strategies
 
Description Not Available
Maize is cultivated extensively throughout the world and has the highest production among cereals. However,
Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) disease caused by Exherohilum turcicum, is the most devastating limiting factor
of maize production. The disease causes immense losses to corn yield if it develops prior or during the tasseling
and silking stages of crop development. It has a worldwide distribution and its development is favoured by cool to
moderate temperatures with high relative humidity. The prevalence of the disease has increased in recent years
and new races of the pathogen have been reported worldwide. The fungus E. turcicum is highly variable in nature.
Though different management strategies have proved effective to reduce economic losses from NCLB, the development of varieties with resistance to E. turcicum is the most efficient and inexpensive way for disease management. Qualitative resistance for NCLB governed by Ht genes is a race-specific resistance which leads to a higher
level of resistance. However, some Ht genes can easily become ineffective under the high pressure of virulent
strains of the pathogen. Hence, it is imperative to understand and examine the consistency of the genomic locations of quantitative trait loci for resistance to NCLB in diverse maize populations. The breeding approaches for
pyramiding resistant genes against E. turcicum in maize can impart NCLB resistance under high disease pressure
environments. Furthermore, the genome editing approaches like CRISPR-cas9 and RNAi can also prove vital for
developing NCLB resistant maize cultivars. As such this review delivers emphasis on the importance and current
status of the disease, racial spectrum of the pathogen, genetic nature and breeding approaches for resistance and
management strategies of the disease in a sustainable manner.