Identity and Pathogenicity of Fungi Associated with Crown and Root Rot of Dryland Winter Wheat in Azerbaijan.

A comprehensive survey was performed to assess fungal populations associated with crown and root rot of wheat throughout the main wheat-growing areas of Azerbaijan. Samples were taken from 76 fields; 630 fungal strains were isolated, identified, and evaluated for pathogenicity. The identification was conducted with morphological and molecular tools such as species-specific PCR and DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and -α (-α) loci.