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Red rot resistant varieties are deployed in the field to avoid serious losses caused by the red rot pathogen, Colletotrichum falcatum. However, frequent breakdown of resistance occurs due to the development of newer pathotypes and in certain situations, elite varieties that are moderately susceptible to red rot are being cultivated. Under such situations, adopting novel strategies to manage the disease is of paramount importance. Since protection of crop at different stages of crop growth from red rot incidence is essential to maintain good crop stand and to achieve higher productivity, attempts have been made by following conventional and molecular approaches. Conventionally, effective fungicides, bioagents and their integration were identified and also standardized effective delivery methods for successful management. In addition, attempts have been made at molecular level to identify virulence related genes of C. falcatum to monitor pathogen population under field conditions and to identify newer pathotypes with high virulence for effective screening programme. Besides, established the possibility of identifying potential target sites as genes/ proteins for fungicidal management of red rot in the field. Findings of both conventional and molecular approaches attempted for red rot management under field conditions are summarized in this review.

Red rot resistant varieties are deployed in the field to avoid serious losses caused by the red rot pathogen, Colletotrichum falcatum. However, frequent breakdown of resistance occurs due to the development of newer pathotypes and in certain situations, elite varieties that are moderately susceptible to red rot are being cultivated. Under such situations, adopting novel strategies to manage the disease is of paramount importance. Since protection of crop at different stages of crop growth from red rot incidence is essential to maintain good crop stand and to achieve higher productivity, attempts have been made by following conventional and molecular approaches. Conventionally, effective fungicides, bioagents and their integration were identified and also standardized effective delivery methods for successful management. In addition, attempts have been made at molecular level to identify virulence related genes of C. falcatum to monitor pathogen population under field conditions and to identify newer pathotypes with high virulence for effective screening programme. Besides, established the possibility of identifying potential target sites as genes/proteins for fungicidal management of red rot in the field. Findings of both conventional and molecular approaches attempted for red rot management under field conditions are summarized in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sporisorium scitamineum, the sugarcane smut pathogen, relies predominantly on its secretome to successfully colonise its host, in accordance with other related smut fungi. Considering the significance of deciphering its secretome, we have examined alterations in the in vitro secretome of S. scitamineum in response to synthetic and sugarcane meristem tissue-amended growth media, so as to identify host signal responsive secretory proteins. Secretory proteins that were differentially abundant and exclusively secreted in response to host extract media were identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. Of the 16 differentially abundant and exclusively secreted proteins, nine proteins were identified. Among which, six were related to cell wall modification, morphogenesis, polysaccharide degradation, and carbohydrate metabolism. In planta gene expression profiling indicated that five in vitro secreted proteins were expressed in distinct patterns by S. scitamineum during different stages of infection with relatively higher expression at 1 day after inoculation, suggesting that these proteins could be aiding S. scitamineum at early time points in penetration and colonisation of sugarcane cells. The present study has provided insights into the alterations occurring in the secretome of S. scitamineum at in vitro conditions and has resulted in the identification of secretory proteins that are possibly associated with pathogenicity of the sugarcane smut fungus., (Copyright © 2016 British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)