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Title: Stripe rust reaction of twenty eight Canadian wheat cultivars

Author
item MCCALLUM, B - CEREAL RES, WINNIPEG, CA
item Chen, Xianming
item SHORTER, S - NEW ZEALAND INST FOR CROP
item SADASIVAIAH, R - LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CA
item TEWARI, J - UNIV OF ALBERTA, CANADA

Submitted to: Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/25/2007
Publication Date: 12/1/2007
Citation: Mccallum, B.D., Chen, X., Shorter, S., Sadasivaiah, R.S., Tewari, J.P. 2007. Stripe rust reaction of twenty eight Canadian wheat cultivars. Can. J. Plant Pathol. 29:401-407.

Interpretive Summary: Wheat stripe rust is an annual production problem in southern Alberta and since 2000 has also become common in the eastern Prairie region of Canada. Twenty-eight wheat cultivars, commonly grown in western Canada, were tested for their relative levels of stripe rust resistance during 2002 and 2003 in field nurseries located in areas where the disease is endemic. At the heading stage the cultivars were visually rated for the proportion of the flag leaves infected by the rust. The effect of cultivar was significant at all locations and there was a significant cultivar by environment interaction. The ranks of the cultivars were correlated between most pairs of locations. While none of the cultivars were completely resistant to stripe rust many had a partial level of resistance. A number of these partially resistant cultivars are known to have the gene Lr34 for leaf rust resistance, which is completely linked to Yr18 for stripe rust resistance. Some cultivars were very susceptible to stripe rust and would sustain considerable damage if a widespread, severe stripe rust epidemic were to occur in western Canada. Producers can minimize their risks of severe losses due to stripe rust by growing the partially resistant cultivars in addition to fungicide use.

Technical Abstract: Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Eriks., is an annual production problem in southern Alberta and since 2000 has also become common in the eastern Prairie region of Canada. Twenty-eight wheat cultivars, commonly grown in western Canada, were tested for their relative levels of stripe rust resistance during 2002 and 2003 in field nurseries located in areas where the disease is endemic. The nurseries were located in Lincoln New Zealand, Pullman Washington USA, and Creston British Columbia Canada in 2002 and in Lincoln New Zealand, Pullman and Mount Vernon Washington USA in 2003. At the heading stage the cultivars were visually rated for the proportion of the flag leaves infected with P. striiformis f. s. tritici. The effect of cultivar was significant at all locations and there was a significant cultivar by environment interaction. The ranks of the cultivars were correlated between most pairs of locations. While none of the cultivars were completely resistant to stripe rust many had a partial level of resistance. A number of these partially resistant cultivars are known to have the gene Lr34 for leaf rust resistance, which is completely linked to Yr18 for stripe rust resistance. It is therefore likely that these cultivars derived their partial level of resistance from Yr18. Some cultivars, including the currently most popular cultivar ‘AC Barrie’, were very susceptible to stripe rust and would sustain considerable damage if a widespread, severe stripe rust epidemic were to occur in western Canada. Producers can minimize their risks of severe losses due to stripe rust by growing the partially resistant cultivars in addition to fungicide use.