California Agriculture Online
California Agriculture Home  >   Volume 51   >   Number 3  >   Viewing Expanded Abstract

peer-reviewed research article

Imperial Valley conditions limit Karnal bunt in wheat

authors

Gerald J. Holmes, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
Lee Jackson, Department of Agronomy and Range Science, UC Davis
Thomas M. Perring, Department of Entomology and Coordinator for Planning, Institute for Desert Agriculture, UC Riverside

publication information

California Agriculture 51(3):29-32. DOI: 10.3733/ca.v051n03p29. May-June 1997.

abstract

The amount of disease occurring in any given area depends on the presence of the pathogen in sufficient abundance, susceptible hosts and favorable climatic conditions. Each of these factors were severely limiting to the establishment of Karnal bunt (KB) in the Imperial Valley during the 1996 growing season, and none of the 1,476 fields (106,592 acres) tested was shown to be infected with KB. Karnal bunt does not appear to be a threat to wheat production in the Imperial Valley because desert conditions are unfavorable for its development. However, this does not rule out the possibility that low levels of disease may occur occasionally. Assuming that current growing conditions continue and that KB-free seed is planted, the Imperial Valley is at low risk for a KB outbreak.

author affiliations

G.J. Holmes is former Imperial County Cooperative Extension Pathology Farm Advisor, UCCE Imperial County, and currently Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. L.F. Jackson is Extension Agronomist, Department of Agronomy and Range Science, UC Davis; T.M. Perring is Professor, Department of Entomology and Coordinator for Planning, Institute for Desert Agriculture, UC Riverside.

References

Aujla SS, Sharma K, Chand K, Sawney SS. Influence of weather factors on the incidence and epidemiology of Karnal bunt of wheat. Indian J. Ecol. 1977. 8:9.

Joshi LM, Singh DV, Srivastava KD. Karnal bunt: A minor disease that is now a threat to wheat. The Botanical Review. 1983. 49:30. doi:10.1007/BF02861085 [CrossRef]

Royer M. Travel to India to review Karnal bunt research. USDA, North Atlantic Area Plant Disease Research Lab 1984. May 30, 1984.

Singh DV, Joshi LM, Srivastava KD. Karnal bunt — A new threat to wheat in India. Recent Advances in Plant Pathology 1983. (India) Lucknow:Print House. 121p. 35.

Smilanick JL, Hoffmann JA, Royer MH. Effect of temperature, pH, light, and desiccation on teliospore germination of Tilletia indica.. Phytopathology. 1985. 75:31.

Smilanick JL, Prescott JM, Hoffmann JA, Secrest LR, Wiese K. Environmental effects on survival and growth of secondary sporidia and teliospores of Tilletia indica.. Crop Protection. 1989. 8:90. doi:10.1016/0261-2194(89)90081-1 [CrossRef]