Screening some durum wheat germplasm to strip rust (Puccinia striimorfis spp.) in field and greenhouse condition

Durum wheat is the second most widely cultivated wheat species after bread wheat. Yellow rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Eriks. (Pst), severely impacts global wheat production. This study screened 45 durum wheat genotypes for yellow rust resistance through field inoculations in Ardabil and Zarghan, Iran, as well as greenhouse tests. Two Pst isolates, 6E158A+ (from Ardabil) and 14E158A+,YR27 (from Zarghan), were used for inoculations in both field and greenhouse conditions. The slow rusting parameters—area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), coefficient of infection (CI), and adult plant reaction (APR)—revealed varying genotypic responses between the two regions. Results indicated that climatic factors, particularly temperature in rainfed areas, affected yellow rust development. The greenhouse experiment identified the roles of resistance genes Yr1, Yr4, Yr5, Yr10, Yr15, Yr24, Yr26, Yr32, YrSD, YrSU, YrCV, and YrSP in the resistance of durum wheat genotypes. Both field and greenhouse assays showed that genotypes G01, G04, G28, and G30 exhibited minimal slow rusting values in both locations and susceptible reactions to both Pst isolates in the greenhouse, suggesting race non-specific resistance. Conversely, genotypes G25, G26, G27, and G38 displayed lower slow rusting values and resistance to both Pst isolates in the greenhouse, indicating the presence of race-specific or race-non-specific resistance. The identified resistant genotypes can replace susceptible ones in rainfed regions after yield trials and may serve as resistant parents in wheat breeding programs.

Screening some durum wheat germplasm to strip rust (Puccinia striimorfis spp.) in field and greenhouse condition Keywords:

durable resistance , Race-nonspecific resistance , race specific resistance , Yellow rust