Sana Ullah1, Muhammad Ahmad1, Aqeel Shahzad2,* Ahsan Khan1 and Laraib Chouhdary3
1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan; 2Plant Breeding Department, INRES, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany; 3Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
*Corresponding author: ashahzad@uni-bonn.de
Despite being a critical staple crop essential to global food systems, wheat production is increasingly hindered by a wheat blast disease. This disease, caused by a unique fungal pathogen, has spread from South America to Asia and Africa. Wheat blast is characterized by distinct diamond-shaped lesions on leaves that lead to whiplike, bleached, shrunken spikes that result in loss of yield and diminished grain quality. The pathogen can spread quickly through infected seeds and airborne spores, making this disease a global pandemic. Apart from the obliteration of the productivity of the crops, wheat blasts also severely impact farmers and entire agricultural systems, mainly where wheat is their staple food. Recently, significant strides have been made toward understanding the complex relationship between the fungus and its host, resisting genes and developing better screening methods. Disease impacts can be reduced using chemical, structural and cultural practices alongside traditional breeding. Moreover, changing climate conditions, the evolution of the pathogen, and the development fungicide-resistant strains rationalize the need for more innovative and proactive approaches to research. This review sheds light on the wheat blast, biology, epidemiology, and the existing control measures while highlighting the gaps and the need for further research and coordinated efforts to avert a possible disaster at a global level regarding wheat cultivation.