Research Projects

Wheat is the major cereal crop of the world, supporting one-thirds of the global population. In India during 2022-23, wheat was cultivated on 31.23 million hectares with a national productivity of 36.15 q/ha. In Punjab wheat was cultivated on 3.53 million hectares and the state recorded the highest national productivity at 47.48 q/ha. Along with the climatic hazards, biotic stresses in form of diseases cause upto 20% yield losses globally. Among the wheat diseases, Foliar blight (FB) is one of the most destructive disease, impacting around 25 million hectares of the global wheat acreage causing substantial yield losses. The disease is prevalent in warm and humid regions where rice-wheat cropping pattern follows. Foliar blight comprises spot blotch (caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana) and tan spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis), with B. sorokiniana predominating in India. The pathogen persists in the seed, soil and crop residues. However, there is no comprehensive pathogen profiling exists for Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Thus, to identify the pathogen(s) complex, their characterization in NWPZ of India helps to devise suitable strategies for the management of the disease. This proposal aims to characterize FB pathogens and study their dynamics in the NWPZ. Objectives include (1) morphological, molecular, and pathogenic profiling of FB pathogens, study of rhizosphere dynamics of pathogens, and (2) metagenomic analysis of pathogen complexes in rhizosphere and phyllosphere samples. The work plan involves field surveys, sample processing, fungal isolations, morphological & molecular characterization, pathogenicity tests, and interaction studies. Advanced metagenomic sequencing of the highly infected samples and qPCR assays will explain the population dynamics, aiding the development of targeted interventions. By identifying pathogen(s) and their interactions, this research will lay the foundation for resistance breeding and sustainable wheat production in India’s NWPZ, safeguarding yields against escalating disease pressures.