IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, FORMS, AND EXCESS OF NITROGEN FERTILIZERS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF WHEAT FUNGAL DISEASES

Background. Global climate change and excessive nitrogen application has become a significant issue and inevitably threatens sustainable wheat production, not only with direct negative effects on crop growth but also with profound impacts on biology and pest and disease management. Purpose. This review addresses the current challenges, namely the negative effects of climate change and the forms and excess of nitrogen-rich fertilizers on the development of fungal diseases in wheat, as well as management strategies. Materials and methods. To achieve the stated objective of the study, the scientific literature published during the last 20 years on the impacts of climate change and the forms and excesses of nitrogen fertilizers on the development of fungal diseases and on the yield of wheat were reviewed. Results. Thus, in mitigating these challenges, it is necessary to optimize the dose of nitrogen fertilizers, apply nitrogen in the form of nitrate, ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate, and coated urea fertilizers, to use silicate fertilizers such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium silicate, and to perform a long rotation of wheat through perennial legumes and leguminous crops, as well as to develop, through genome editing, varieties with high yield potential, resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses, and of good end-use quality, or plant new cereals that have needs for heat and a longer reproductive growth period. Conclusion. To develop an effective agricultural management strategy, future research should be based on the study of the interactions among crops, pests, pathogens and farming system under climate change, taking into account all parameters such as temperature increase and CO2, extreme precipitation, etc. A sufficient number of results must be published to be able to draw meaningful conclusions.