Fungal Pathogen Interactions in Sugarcane Systems
Summary
Fungal diseases, particularly sugarcane smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, represent a major threat to global sugarcane production. The smut pathogen infects meristematic tissues, inducing characteristic whip-like structures that disrupt sugar accumulation and yield. Interactions between sugarcane and fungal pathogens are governed by a complex interplay of host genetics, microbial communities, environmental factors and fungal virulence traits. Resistant cultivars deploy an array of defence strategies including reinforcement of cell walls, production of pathogenesis-related proteins, and activation of phytohormone-mediated signalling networks involving salicylic acid, jasmonic acid and ethylene. Endophytic microorganisms in the sugarcane phyllosphere and rhizosphere can antagonise smut fungi through competition for niche space and production of antimicrobial metabolites. Advances in high-throughput sequencing, metabolomics and proteomics have elucidated early gene expression changes associated with defence, revealing key roles for phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, reactive oxygen species scavenging and modulation of central metabolism. Artificial inoculation assays, biochemical markers and genome-editing approaches are improving resistance screening and cultivar development. Integrative management strategies that combine resistant germplasm, cultural practices and potential biocontrol agents promise to mitigate the impact of fungal pathogens in diverse agroecological settings.
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Fungal Pathogen Interactions in Sugarcane Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in fungal pathogen interactions in sugarcane systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Sporisorium scitamineum: Basidiomycete fungus responsible for sugarcane smut disease.
Endophyte: Microorganism living inside plant tissues, often conferring resistance to pathogens.
Teliospore: Thick-walled spore stage of smut fungi that germinates to initiate infection.
Jasmonic acid: Plant phytohormone involved in defence signalling against necrotrophic pathogens.
Dikaryotic hyphae: Fungal filamentous growth form containing two genetically distinct nuclei, essential for pathogenicity.
Inoculation: Introduction of a specific pathogen dose to plant tissue to assess disease resistance or virulence.
References
- Sugarcane Smut: Current Knowledge and the Way Forward for Management. Journal of Fungi (2021).
- An efficient inoculation method to evaluate virulence differentiation of field strains of sugarcane smut fungus. Frontiers in Microbiology (2024).
- A Genetically Engineered Escherichia coli for Potential Utilization in Fungal Smut Disease Control. Microorganisms (2023).
- Early Selection for Smut Resistance in Sugarcane Using Pathogen Proliferation and Changes in Physiological and Biochemical Indices. Frontiers in Plant Science (2016).
- Comparative proteomics reveals that central metabolism changes are associated with resistance against Sporisorium scitamineum in sugarcane. BMC Genomics (2016).
- A Global View of Transcriptome Dynamics during Sporisorium scitamineum Challenge in Sugarcane by RNA-seq. PLOS ONE (2014).
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