Molecular Monitoring of Fungicide Resistance in Crop Phytopathogens

Abstract

The fight against crop pathogens relies mainly on host genetics and chemistry; however, both areas are compromised by the evolution of resistance in the pathogen population. Fungicide resistance is an ongoing challenge to global food security, as it threatens these important crop protection chemistries. One critical component of resistance management is an effective detection and monitoring program, which needs to be agile, scalable, sensitive, accurate, and cost effective. A rapidly evolving suite of molecular tools are being developed for the detection of fungicide resistance mutations in phytopathogen populations, including high-throughput PCR-based quantitative assays and cutting-edge third-generation DNA sequencing. A single “silver bullet” detection technology that will satisfy all study objectives does not exist; thus, every tool has a niche in an integrated detection and monitoring program. This review presents an overview of the rapidly changing landscape of fungicide resistance detection, illustrates how molecular techniques are being exploited to combat fungicide resistance in cereal crop phytopathogens, and highlights challenges and future research directions to aid in the design of effective monitoring systems that aim to apply fungicides strategically and minimize the cost of resistance.