To assess the impacts of climatic variability on major pests of various agro-climatic zones of India.To generate strategic knowledge for climate change adaptation and mitigation for pests and diseases using field and simulation studies,to improve capacity of stakeholders & develop a framework for dissemination of climate resilient technologies related to pest and diseases.

1. Integrated Crop Management
and Climate Change
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
Patancheru- 502 324, Telangana, India
Mamta Sharma
On Behalf of Colleagues from ICM
Research Program Asia
Regional Planning Meeting, 4-5 May, 2016, ICRISAT, Patancheru
An Overview

2. Yield loss
Oerke 2006

3. ICM@ ICRISAT
 Host plant resistance (HPR)
 Pathogen/pest virulence spectrum
 Mechanism of host x pathogen/pest interaction
 Biological control
 Climate change & emerging diseases/pests
Major Areas of R &D

4. Major Diseases and Pests
Chickpea Pigeonpea
Fusarium wilt Fusarium wilt
Dry root rot SMD
Collar rot Phytophthora blight
Ascochyta blight Helicoverpa
BGM
Helicoverpa,
Spodoptera, Maruca
Maruca
Sorghum
Leaf Blight
Downy mildew
Charcoal rot
Shoot fly
Stem borer
Pearl Millet
Downy mildew
Blast
Rust

5. Strategy and Approach
Etiology, Biology and Epidemiology
Role of climate variables
Host Plant Resistance
Monitoring virulence diversity Identification of resistant sources
Breeding and germplasm
- Standardization of screening protocols
Molecular/geneticPathogenic
Field Controlled environment
Field survey Disease nurseriesHost differential
Specific/multiple Pathotypes
Multi–location and multi-year
evaluation (G x E interaction)
Stability of resistance - multi-location
Virulence pattern
Evolution of new races/pathotypes
Characterization and establishment
of new pathotypes
Development of markers/sequencing
On farm demonstrations in
integration with other
management approaches

6. Phenotyping Facilities @ Pathology
Chickpea wilt sick-plot Pigeonpea wilt & SMD sick-plot
Growth room for AB & BGM Green house for PB

7. Phenotyping Facilities @ Pathology
Greenhouse screeningField screening
Pearl millet downy mildew screening
Field screening of sorghum diseases
Sprinklers to facilitate grain mold/anthracnose
Whorl inoculation for
anthracnose/leaf blight
Toothpick inoculation for
charcoal rot

8. Phenotyping Facilities @ Entomology & IPM
Insect Rearing, Bioassays, Biochemical Mechanisms, HNPV
Production

9. Climate change facilities @
ICRISAT

10. Current Project Portfolio @ICM

11. Project # 1 : CoE on Climate change Research
and plant protection (Donor: DST, Climate Change Programme)
Shift in the geographical distribution
Changes in the physiology of host
Changes in the rate of development
More rapid development
Increased transmission and dispersal
More virulent forms
Vulnerability of present day host cultivars
How climate change will impact pests and diseases ?
Objective 1. Predict and map potential changes in relative abundance and geographical distribution of
insect-pests and diseases in grain legumes
Objective 2. Standardize techniques to study insect-pest/pathogen × host plant × environment
interactions
Objective 3. Study biochemical, molecular,genetic interactions between pathogens/ pests × host plant ×
environment in relation to expression of resistance to the target diseases and pests
Objective 4. Capacity building for undertaking research on the effect of climate change on crop protection
PHASE I
Team: ICM (Pathology, Entomology)

12. Project # 1 :CoE on Climate change and plant
protection
PHASE II
Pest and disease management for climate change adaption
National Network on Climate change and Agriculture
Major Objectives
 To assess the impacts of climatic
variability on major pests of various
agro-climatic zones of India
 To generate strategic knowledge for
climate change adaptation and
mitigation for pests and diseases using
field and simulation studies
 To improve capacity of stakeholders &
develop a framework for dissemination
of climate resilient technologies related
to pest and diseases
Emerging diseases of significance
Blast PB Collar rot
Mealy bug
Aphid
Team: ICM (Pathology, Entomology, Crop Improvement, Agro-climatologist}
Macrophomina/Rhizoctonia bataticola

13. Vulnerability to Climate change: A sub-regional analysis of socio-
economic and agriculture sectors in South India
(Short-term project)
Objectives:
• To assess and identify most vulnerable districts in the state
• To identify and prioritize drivers of vulnerability at different
scales
• To identify adaptive interventions to address the vulnerability
Outcome:
• Secondary data –Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and
Maharashtra collected and analysed
• Research article on Vulnerability to Climate change: A sub-
regional analysis of socio-economic and agriculture sectors in
South India
Team: KVR, DMS
Project # 2 :

14. Pigeonpea Projects
Addressing Phytophthora Blight Disease: An Emerging Threat to
Pigeonpea Expansion and Production (Donor: DAC-NFSM, GoI)
Major objectives:
Identify pigeonpea genotypes with resistance to PB of pigeonpea
Evaluate PB resistant genotypes at multi-locations and farmers’ fields
Technology exchange/capacity building in management of PB
Outputs:
 Pathotype scenario of Phytophthora cajani in India known.
 Screening techniques (greenhouse and field) for identification of resistant sources
for PB in pigeonpea developed.
 PB resistant lines identified as donor for use in the breeding program.
 Information on PB research generated and shared with NARS institutes
Partners:
SAUs
BHU,
RAKCA,
PAU
Team: MS, RG, CVS, NARS

15. Pearl Millet & Sorghum Projects
# 1. Genetic analysis of blast resistance in pearl millet (Pennisetum
glaucum L. R. Br.) (Donor: Dryland Cereals Competitive Grants 2015)
Major objectives:
 Study inheritance and nature of resistance using
the crosses made at IARI
 Characterization of virulence diversity among M.
grisea isolates collected from Delhi and adjoining
areas
#2. Biochemical and Molecular Mechanisms of Resistance to Spotted
stem borer, Chilo partellus in sorghum (Donor: SERB)
Major objectives:
 Identification of secondary metabolites influencing
antixenosis for oviposition, survival and development of
the stem borer
 Transcriptomic analysis of secondary metabolites
following insect damage to identify molecular markers
associated with expression of resistance to C. partellus.
[Team: RS, SKG]
[Team: SV, HCS]

16. Compatibility of well demonstrated and documented PGP actinomycetes and further
evaluation on vegetable crops under field conditions
Commercialization of sweet sorghum as a complimentary feedstock for ethanol
production in the sugar mills of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
 Characterization of cellulose degrading
microbes.
 Evaluation by large scale studies under field
conditions.
 Value addition (with PGPR)
 Mass multiplication and formulation.
 Evaluation on promising actinomycetes on ICRISAT mandate crops and vegetables crops
Team: SGK, AAK, IDC

17. An insight of actinobacteria and nodulating rhizobium possessing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-
carboxylate (ACC) deaminase on salinity tolerance of chickpea
Assessment of actinomycetes as tripartite agent: Biocontrol of BGM, HPR
enhancer and growth promoter on chickpea Cicer arietinum L.).
 Mechanism of zinc solubilizing actinobacteria in
vitro conditions.
 Evaluation for host plant resistance - antioxidant
enzyme, phenolic profiling and histochemical
studies
 Partial purification of secondary metabolites.
 Isolation of actinobacteria and rhizobium possessing ACC deaminase activity.
Team: SGK, MS, AS, RV, PMG, SS

18. Young Scientist Projects
Identification and evaluation of Helicoverpa armigera induced plant volatiles in
cultigen & wild relatives of pigeonpea for increasing the effectiveness of the
parasitoid Campoletis chlorideae for pest management (Donor: SERB)
• The identification of morphological and biochemical traits in pigeonpea for
attraction of Helicoverpa and its larval parasitoid, Campoletis. chlorideae.
• Olfactometer bioassay with air entrained volatiles from pigeonpea and synthetic
kairomone blends to H. armigera and C. chlorideae
Major objectives:
Addressing the collar rot disease (S. rolfsii Sacc.), an emerging threat to chickpea
(Donor: SERB)
Major objectives:
 Development of rapid diagnostic tool for identifying,quantifying S. rolfsii
 Sequencing of ITS regions to study genotypic variability in S. rolfsii isolates
 Determination of physio-chemico changes associated with collar rot by various biochemical
assays in different genotype(s)
 Determination of expression profiling of PR gene(s) identified in chickpea through real-time
PCR
Team: JJ/HCS
Team: AT/MS

19. Integration with Genetic Gains
 Molecular variability and development of markers for
assessing variability in pathogens
- Developed DArT Marker platform for Foc in chickpea
 Whole genome sequencing of pathogens/PGPR
- Comparative WGS of Foc in chickpea, Medicago, pea published
 Whole transcriptome of pathogens
- Foc during conidial germination
(Team : Genomics and trait discovery)
 Non-host resistance mechanism for DRR in chickpea (Cell
Molecular Biology & Genetic Eng.)
 QTLs for disease resistance genes
 Resistance identification in wild spp. (Pre-Breeding)
 Phenotyping of germplasm collection. (GeneBank)

20. Building partnerships
ICAR-ICRISAT Collaborative activities @ICM
Team : with NARS
AICRP Programs :
Chickpea
Pigeonpea
Sorghum
Pearl millet
Screening of the IVT, AVT, NND
Multi-location testing of
disease/pest nurseries
Monitoring of pathogen/pest
variability
Partnerships through various projects on R &D
and technology dissemination

21. ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium
Thank you !