Wheat blast is a devastating disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Pyricularia oryzae.
Wheat blast first emerged in South America before more recently reaching Bangladesh.
Even though the pathogen can spread locally by air-dispersed spores, long-distance spread
is likely to occur via infected wheat seed or grain. Wheat blast epidemics are caused by a
genetic lineage of the fungus, called the Triticum lineage, only differing from the other P.
oryzae lineages by less than 1% genetic divergence. In order to prevent further spread of�…

Rapid detection is key to managing emerging diseases because it allows their spread
around the world to be monitored and limited. The first major wheat blast epidemics were
reported in 1985 in the Brazilian state of Paran�. Following this outbreak, the disease
quickly spread to neighboring regions and countries and, in 2016, the first report of wheat
blast disease outside South America was released. This Asian outbreak was due to the
trade of infected South American seed, demonstrating the importance of detection tests in�…