Diseases affecting barley: scald

Publication date: 11/02/2018
Extent: 34 pages

Contributions by: Wolfgang Knogge, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Germany

Chapter synopsis: Scald (leaf blotch), caused by the hemibiotrophic pathogen Rhynchosporium commune, is one of the major diseases of barley worldwide. Typical disease symptoms consist of necrotic areas on the leaf blades. Yield losses are manifested as reduced kernel quality, size and number per ear. This chapter reviews the origins, epidemiology and other characteristic features of scald, and considers the agricultural consequences of the pathogen’s biology. It then considers resistance breeding programmes in which more than a dozen major resistance genes as well as quantitative trait loci have been identified, and discusses strategies to minimize the damage caused by the disease comprising agricultural practices and different fungicides.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2017.0039.10