Research progress in sunflower diseases and their management

Sunflower diseases are of major concern in the production of this crop worldwide. This is due to the regular and quite often severe attack by different pathogens. As a result considerable yield losses occur or the quality of product lessens. Though the number of pathogens known to attack sunflower is relatively high, only a handful to a dozen are considered important ones depending on region and cultivar. In this review, I am focusing particularly on these significant pathogens. The emphasis will be on new findings and results obtained by researchers related to pathogen biology, ecology, genetics, host resistance, and control. It was interesting to note a considerable shift in the relative dominance of diseases over the last four years as reflecting in the number of publications available. The scientists’ efforts have resulted in better understanding of individual diseases and underline their significance in the improvement of sunflower management.