Take-All Disease of Cereals

Take-all is the most important root disease of cereals worldwide and a major disease problem in northern European wheat-growing regions. It is regarded by many as an intractable problem because of the lack of economically-viable chemical controls and resistant cultivars. It remains one of the great challenges of plant pathology and serves as an ideal model for many of the problems of root diseases in general.

This book, an initiative of the IACR/ADAS/Universities Cereal Root Pathology Group, is the first since 1981 to provide an up-to-date review of the practical aspects of take-all research. It contains the experience of several contributors with long and active careers in take-all research or the advisory services and includes a comprehensive worldwide bibliography of relevant literature published over the last 15 years. The book concentrates on Europe, particularly the UK and France, and this regional theme is developed through comparisons with approaches used in, for example, North America and Australia. Chapters deal with history, disease and epidemiology, take-all in relation to cereal production systems, strategies for management, the pathogens and related fungi, field techniques and future prospects. This book is essential reading for advanced students and professionals in cereal crop protection research and will be of interest to plant pathologists as well as agricultural advisors.