Evaluation of Winter Wheat Germplasm for Resistance to Stripe Rust and Leaf Rust

Abstract

Wheat leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina (Pt), and wheat stripe rust caused by P. striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) are important foliar diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. Breeding for disease resistance is the preferred strategy of managing both diseases. The continued emergence of new races of Pt and Pst requires a constant search for new sources of resistance. Winter wheat accessions were evaluated at seedling stage in the greenhouse with races of Pt and Pst that are predominant in the North Central US. Association mapping approach was performed on landrace accessions to identify new or underutilized sources of resistance to Pt and Pst. The majority of the accessions were susceptible to all the five races of Pt and one race of Pst. Association mapping studies identified 29 and two SNP markers associated with seedling resistance to leaf rust and stripe rust, respectively.