R. F. Line

Wheat Stripe Rust Epidemics and Races of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in the United States in 2000

Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is most destructive in the western United States and has become increasingly important in the south-central states. The disease has been monitored by collaborators through field surveys and in disease nurseries throughout the United States. In the year 2000, stripe rust occurred in more than 20 states throughout the country, which was the most widespread occurrence in recorded history. Although fungicide applications in many states reduced yield losses, the disease caused multimillion dollar losses in the United States, especially in Arkansas and California. One of the prevalent cultivars, RSI 5, had a yield loss of about 50% in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region of California. In the Pacific Northwest, wheat losses due to stripe rust were minimal because cultivars with durable resistance were widely grown and the weather in May 2000 was not favorable for the disease. To identify races of the pathogen, stripe rust collections from 20 states across the United States were analyzed on 20 wheat differential cultivars, including Clement (Yr9, YrCle), Compair (Yr8, Yr19), and the Yr8 and Yr9 near-isogenic lines. In 2000, 21 previously identified races and 21 new races were identified. Of the 21 new races, 8 were pathotypes with combinations of virulences previously known to exist in the United States, and 13 had virulences to one or more of the lines Yr8, Yr9, Clement, or Compair. This is the first report of virulence to Yr8 and Yr9 in the United States. Most of the new races were also virulent on Express. Races that are virulent on Express have been identified in California since 1998. The races virulent on Yr8, Yr9, and Express were widely distributed in California and states east of the Rocky Mountains in 2000. The epidemic in 2000 demonstrates that increased efforts to breed for stripe rust resistance are needed in California, the south-central states, and some other states in the Great Plains. Diversification of resistance genes and use of durable resistance should prevent large-scale and severe epidemics.

Resistance to stripe rust and eyespot diseases of wheat in Triticum tauschii

A collection of 279 Triticum tauschii (syn. Aegilops squarrosa) accessions was evaluated for resistance to stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) and eyespot (Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides) diseases. Seedlings were inoculated with four different races of P. striiformis that represent all known virulences in the Pacific Northwest, and a genetically modified strain of P herpotrichoides expressing β-glucuronidase. Seventeen percent (44) of the T. tauschii accessions were resistant to all Pacific Northwest races of stripe rust, and 45% (115) were resistant to eyespot. Thirty-nine of the 279 accessions were resistant to the stripe rust races and the eyespot pathogen. Accessions resistant to stripe rust were mainly from the Caspian Sea region of Iran and Azerbaijan, with the majority belonging to T tauschii subsp. strangulata and T. t. subsp. meyeri. There was no clear association between resistance to eyespot and geographical origin or taxonomic subgroup.

Evaluation of Dasypyrum villosum Populations for Resistance to Cereal Eyespot and Stripe Rust Pathogens

Resistance to Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides (cause of eyespot) and Puccinia striiformis(cause of stripe rust) was evaluated in a germ plasm collection of Dasypyrum villosum (syn. Haynaldia villosa) and a set of disomic addition lines, a substitution, and a translocation line of D. villosum chromosomes in a wheat background. Three races of P. striiformis and a β-glucuronidase-transformed strain of Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides were used to inoculate plants and evaluate disease reactions. Of the 115 D. villosum accessions tested, 33 (28.6%) were resistant to one or more races of Puccinia striiformis and 8 accessions were resistant to all races. All 219 accessions of D. villosum tested were resistant to Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides and 158 (72%) of the accessions had lower β-glucuronidase activity than the resistant wheat line VPM-1. Most of the accessions of D. villosum resistant to the stripe rust pathogen originated from Greece; however, there was no distinction among origins for resistance to the eyespot pathogen. Chromosome 4V was confirmed to carry the gene for resistance to P. herpotrichoides. At least one gene for resistance to Puccinia striiformis was located on the short arm of chromosome 6V of D. villosum in the 6VS/6AL-translocation line; this gene was named Yr26.

Inheritance of stripe rust (yellow rust) resistance in the wheat cultivar Carstens V

SummaryCarstens V, one of the wheat cultivars used to differentiate races of Puccinia striiformis (stripe rust or yellow rust) in Europe, was crossed with stripe rust susceptible cultivars and cultivars with genes for resistance to the disease to determine the genetic basis of its stripe rust resistance. Seedlings of the parents and F1, F2, and F3 progeny were evaluated for resistance to North American races of P. striiformis. Based on those evaluations, Carstens V has three genes for resistance to North American race CDL-21, two genes for resistance to races CDL-17, CDL-20, and CDL-29, and one gene for resistance to race CDL-27. The genes that confer resistance to race CDL-17 also confer resistance to race CDL-21. The three genes were either dominant or recessive depending upon the race used in the test and the cultivar used in the cross. None of the genes in Carstens V are the same as the genes for resistance in Cappelle Desprez, Chinese 166, Clement, Compair, Heines Peko, Hybrid 46, Minister, Nord Desprez, Triticum spelta album, and Vilmorin 23.