The blast of wheat (Triticum aestivum) was first reported in the State of Paraná in 1986 and has now spread to all the major wheat growing areas of Brazil. The relation between leaf and neck blast resistance was studied utilizing three isolates and 15 wheat varieties. The relationship between incidence of blast in wheat spikes and infection of harvested seeds was examined using inoculation tests with three fungal isolates on five wheat cultivars. The varieties showing susceptible reaction at seedling stage were also susceptible to spike infection. The BH1146 was the sole variety resistant at seedling stage, which subsequently produced a significantly lower the incidence and severity of blast. A high positive correlation was observed between incidence and severity of diseased heads. The percentage of infected seeds was less in varieties exhibiting a resistant reaction to spike infection than in susceptible varieties.
Pyricularia grisea; Triticum aestivum; blast; resistance
