Septoria and stagonospora diseases of cereals: a compilation of global research

Abstract

In the mid-1970s the idea of holding a septoria workshop began to take hold among a small group of scientists in the USA. They were interested in exchanging ideas and finding ways to manage the septoria diseases that affect wheat and other cereals all over the world. The first workshop was organized in a matter of a few months and held in Griffin, Georgia, in 1976. Among the 50 scientists who attended were a few researchers from outside the US. The enthusiasm of that first workshop led to the development of the second, which was a truly international meeting attended by more than 100 scientists from many countries, held in Bozeman, Montana, in 1983. Since then, international septoria workshops have been held about every five years: in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1989; in Radzikow, Poland, in 1994; and this year at CIMMYT in El Batan, Mexico. Each workshop has expanded the network of scientists who share their knowledge and pose the many questions that remain to be solved about these diseases and their management. The Zurich workshop had increased participation by workers from Europe and Africa. The Radzikow workshop brought increased participation from scientists in eastern Europe. The early workshops focused on the biology of the pathogens and breeding strategies, subjects in which there remain many unanswered questions. The 1994 workshop and the current one emphasize molecular approaches to the genetics of the pathogens. The Fifth International Workshop provides another opportunity to focus on the Septoria/Stagonospora diseases, but also to see them in the context of the worldwide programs of CIMMYT, which emphasize collaboration with developing countries with the aim of developing stable high yielding wheat varieties that possess durable resistance to the diseases.