Developing wheat varieties with resistance to the feared leaf
blotch disease may be very difficult, but recent studies carried
out at Wageningen UR have brought it closer than ever. This is
clear from research of the Dutch-Tunisian Sarrah Ben M’Barek-Ben
Romdhane who obtained her doctorate on this subject at
Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR, on Oct. 17. Ben
M’Barek and her colleagues mapped the complete DNA of the
pathogen that causes septoria leaf blotch - the fungus
Mycosphaerella graminicola. They showed that the fungus can lose
entire chromosomes during sexual reproduction without any
visible effect. Ben M’Barek also found that the fungus can
attack wheat plants in various ways. These findings explain why
it has been so difficult thus far to develop resistant wheat
varieties. The new knowledge provides clues that will stimulate
the development of those varieties, increasing the security and
sustainability of food production.  Wheat is the main food crop
for regions such as North Africa and the