Fungal leaf diseases in wheat in some forest-steppe zones of Mongolia

Abstract

Wheat is an important cereal crop in Mongolia and faces production challenges due to the lack of appropriate agronomic practices, weather uncertainties, weeds, insects, and disease outbreaks. Wheat leaf diseases are one of the biotic stresses that decreases production and grain quality. Leaf diseases were randomly assessed in 114 wheat fields, in the Bulgan and Orkhon provinces, from 2019 to 2023 in order to figure out the prevalence, incidence, and severity of wheat leaf diseases. The environmental and climatic conditions of the two regions were obtained, and the relevant data were almost identical. Wheat leaf diseases were identified, which included septoria leaf spot (Phaeosphaeria nodorum), leaf rust (Puccinia recondita) and spot blotch (Bipolaris sorokiniana). In Bulgan and Orkhon, during the assessment years, the mean incidence and severity of septoria leaf blotch was 58.1-81.7% and 9.7-12.8%. For leaf rust, the mean incidence and severity were 58.3–72.2% and 7.3–10.4%, and the mean incidence and severity of spot blotch were 0-5.5% and 0-6.5% respectively. Due to these biological factors such as leaf spot and leaf rust, it is suggested that designing appropriate technologies to alleviate disease problems is important. Using varieties resistant to leaf diseases and proper field management can reduce the risk of leaf diseases.