Cereals (durum wheat, bread wheat, barley) and food legumes (chickpea, lentil,
faba bean) production in Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) are
severely affected by insect pests, viral and fungal diseases. Research on the
integrated management of insect pests and diseases of cereals and food legumes
brings together different components: host plant resistance, biological control,
reduced and safe use of chemicals, and appropriate cultural practices.
Highlights
of IPM activities at ICARDAField
Surveys
Identification
of Plant Pathogenic Diseases and Insect Pests & Development of Diagnostic
Kits
A series of surveys of the fungal and viral diseases,
and insect pests of cereal and legume crops are routinely conducted every year
in collaboration with NARS in CWANA.
The most important diseases and insects pests are: Sunn pest, Hessian fly, wheat
stem saw fly, barley stem gall midge, barley shoot fly, Russian wheat aphis,
Barley yellow dwarf virus on cereals; and leafminer, Sitona, aphids,
Bean yellow mosaic virus, Bean leafroll virus and Faba bean necrotic
yellows virus, chocolate spot, Ascochyta blight, and wilt on food
legumes.
 |
A
TBIA kit for detection of Faba bean necrotic yellows virus (FBNYV), which
includes all needed reagents (buffers, sero-diagnostic reagents) as well
as nitrocellulose membrane. |
Pest Characterization
Diseases and insect pests in CWANA are characterized
using differentials and molecular techniques.
 |
Understanding
fungal population genetics (genotyping & phenotyping trends) would
allow faster progress in the search for durable resistant sources and
stable barley prduction in CWANA
|
Host
Plant Resistance
|
|
| Screening
for Leafminer (left susceptible and right resistant) |
Ho
st plant resistance is the cornerstone of IDM/IPM
packages for the control of diseases and pests. It is environment-friendly,
practical, and economically acceptable to farmers. ICARDA Gene Bank provides
an excellent opportunity for identifying sources of resistance to major pests
and diseases.
Several disease nurseries are run for the evaluation of resistance in food legumes
to major diseases affecting foliar and root systems. Cereal and legume genotypes
resistant to the most important diseases and pests have been identified. Major
emphasis is on identification of resistance to multiple diseases and insect
pests (i.e., Sunn pest and yellow rust, Septoria and Hessian fly, leafminer
and Ascochyta blight, faba bean viruses and chocolate spot) and the identification
of durable resistance for the most important diseases (i.e., yellow rust in
wheat; and powdery mildew and Barley yellow dwarf virus) in barley. Resistance
to leaf blight diseases (scald, net blotch, Septoria, tan and spot, chickpea
Ascochyta blight) is usually quantitative and adjustments in screening
techniques were introduced to allow identification of quantitative resistance.
 |
|
| Screening
for resistance to the Bean leaf roll virus in lentil (left susceptible
and right resistant) |
Screening
for resistance to the Russian wheat aphid: resistant (left) and susceptible
(right) |
Chemical
Control
 |
Demonstration
of successful application of IDM package. The field on the right is
expected to yield more than 2 tons/ha, the one on the left will hardly
yield 800 kg/ha
|
Research has been conducted on the efficacy of extracts from
Melia azedarach
in controlling insect pests of food legumes. Control has been achieved using
these extracts against the chickpea leafminer and
Sitona of lentil.
Minimal and judicious application of chemicals when host resistance is lacking
(seed treatment and 1-2 foliar sprays for chickpea
Ascochyta blight)
is recommended.
Cultural
Practices
 |
Planting
date for the management of leafminer
|
The role of cultural practices (rotation and planting dates) in reducing pest
damage has been evaluated. Winter-sown chickpea suffers less damage by the leafminer
than the spring-sown one. However, early planting is conducive for the outbreak
of
Ascochyta blight, whereas late planted lentil is less affected by
Sitona damage and more affected by wilt. In cereals, early planted wheat
is less affected by Hessian fly. Rotating a fallow or leguminous crop with cereals
significantly reduces damage by some pests such as ground pearls and wheat ground
beetle.
Biological
Control
 |
Sunn
pest infected with Beauveria bassiana, an insect-killing fungus
|
Biological control is an important component of IPM at ICARDA. For example,
some bacterial (
Bacillus subtilis and
Pseudomonas fluorescence)
and fungal isolates (
Trichoderma and
Gliocladium) have been identified,
which showed antibiosis against
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.
lentis.
Emphasis is on the enhancement and conservation
of natural enemies through a diversified ecosystem, preserving hedgerows, shrubs
and bushes in overwintering sites and around fields. Judicious use of pesticides
is advised if economic thresholds are reached.
In collaboration with the University of Vermont, USA, NARS, and CABI Bioscience,
ICARDA has developed techniques, for the management of Sunn pest using entomopathogenic
fungi. Promising fungal isolates of
Beauveria bassiana have been tested
in the field at the overwintering sites, as granular formulations, and in the
wheat fields as oil formulations.
 |
|
Egg parasitoids
(Sunn Pest)
|
IPM
The
IPM options developed are tested, in collaboration with NARS partners, in farmers'
fields using a participatory approach: Farmers' Field Schools.
 |
|
Farmer
field school for Sunn Pest management
in Iran |
Controlling
broomrape in lentil is no more a dream! |
|
|
|
Farmer
field school for Wheat Pest management in Syria
|
Training
Training
is an important component, where research staff from NARS get acquainted with
the most recent techniques in IPM.
The IPM group supervises graduate students
research (M.Sc & Ph.D).
Information
Dissemination
The IPM group, over the last decade, has increased
significantly the knowledge base on IPM of cereals and legumes through research
papers published in international or regional journals, conference proceedings,
and through workshops and conferences.
For more information on specific disciplinary research, contact:
Cereal Pathology: a.yahyaoui@cgiar.org
Entomology: m.bohssini@cgiar.org
Virology: s.kumari@cgiar.org
