EFFECTS OF INTERACTION BETWEEN ABIOTIC STRESS AND PATHOGENS IN CEREALS IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE: AN OVERVIEW

Abstract

The scenario that climate change will lead to higher incidence of crop diseases, following geographical distribution of the host and cropping technology, suggests that can be positive, negative or neutral depending of multiple interactions between host, pathogens and abiotic stress factors. Both plants and pathogens are constantly threatened by abiotic stress factors such as high temperature, moisture, drought, salinity, soil pH, greenhouse gases, Ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation and air pollutants. Currently the research focused on this topic is inconsistent therefore these interactions are poorly understood. In the process of adaptation to these adverse conditions, it is expected that abiotic stress factors impact pathogens into a wide range of responses such as changes in life cycles (pathogen reproduction – shorter incubation -, dispersal, survival and activity), increased incidence, modified pathogenicity, genetically recombination and aggressiveness traits.  The present review is focused particularly on the impact of abiotic stress factors on cereals pathogens and all changes in their life cycles and host-pathogen interaction associated with under climate change conditions. However, our study suggest that a better understanding of interaction between pathogens and abiotic stress factors can be an important mechanism to estimate disease risk on a large scale and to introduce new understandings in developing management strategies.