Impacts of climate change on Fusarium species vis-à-vis adaptation strategies

Host-pathogen systems have co-evolved and climate change and climatic variability are impacting agriculture sector including host-pathogen interactions. Species of Fusarium are known to infect and cause diseases in field and plantation crops causing severe yield losses. They are also known to produce mycotoxins which cause health hazards in humans and animals. Fusarium is one of the extensively studied genera with well-defined generic and species structure. Therefore, diagnostics, host pathogen interactions and management practices are aptly clear in majority of the cases. But still a gap exists at our understanding about the virulence level to define races/pathotypes, which makes management of the diseases caused by fusaria very difficult. The problem becomes more aggravated under present circumstances of changing climatic conditions. Although, several bio-control agents are available to manage the diseases, its utilization at field level is still need to be explored. Efforts are required to make the soil suppressive by promotion of in-situ bio-management practices. The present review is presenting current research gaps and way forward under changing climatic conditions for Fusarium species.