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Title: Uromyces ciceris-arietini, the cause of chickpea rust: new hosts in the Trifolieae, Fabaceae

Author
item STUTEVILLE, D.L. - Kansas State University
item GRAVES, W.L. - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service
item Dixon, Linley
item Castlebury, Lisa
item MINNIS, A.M. - Rutgers University

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/11/2009
Publication Date: 3/3/2010
Citation: Stuteville, D., Graves, W., Dixon, L.J., Castlebury, L.A., Minnis, A. 2010. Uromyces ciceris-arietini, the cause of chickpea rust: new hosts in the Trifolieae, Fabaceae. Plant Disease. 94(3):293-297.

Interpretive Summary: Chickpea rust is a serious disease that causes considerable damage to this crop each year. Plant breeders are working to develop chickpea varieties that are resistant to the rust fungus but are hindered by lack of knowledge about the identification and host range of the chickpea rust. Until now, this fungus was thought to infect only chickpea and one species of Medicago. Recently the chickpea rust fungus was discovered on a weed called hairy medic suggesting that the host range was much broader than previously known. In this research chickpea rust was determined to infect a wide range of host plants in the legume tribe Trifolieae, specifically 29 species of Medicago including alfalfa and three species of Melilotus. These hosts suggest that other crops and weeds growing near the chickpea fields may serve as a reservoir for this disease-causing fungus. DNA sequences were determined to aid in the identification of this fungus. Plant pathologists and plant breeders will use this research in disease management and for developing chickpea varieties resistant to this disease as well as for more accurate idenfication of rust fungi on these hosts.

Technical Abstract: Plants of Medicago polymorpha in Riverside and San Diego, California were collected with severe rust caused by Uromyces ciceris-arietini. Reported hosts of U. ciceris-arietini are Cicer arietinum (chickpea) and Medicago polyceratia. To confirm the potential new host range, a monouredinial isolate RM1 of U. ciceris-arietini from M. polymorpha was inoculated on eight accessions each of C. arietinum and M. polyceratia. All plants showed symptoms of the disease. Consequently, a range of fabaceaeous hosts were evaluated for their reaction to U. ciceris-arietini RM1. New hosts for U. ciceris-arietini included 29 species of Medicago, specifically M. arabica, M. blancheana, M. ciliaris, M. constricta, M. coronata, M. doliata, M. granadensis, M. intertexta, M. italica, M. laciniata, M. lanigera, M. lesinsii, M. lupulina, M. minima, M. murex, M. muricoleptis, M. orbicularis, M. praecox, M. radiata, M. rigidula, M. rotata, M. rugosa, M. sativa, M. sauvagei, M. scutellata, M. soleirolii, M. tenoreana, M. truncatula, M. varia, and three species of Melilotus, specifically M. italicus, M. speciosus, and M. spicatus. RM1 produced no symptoms on plants in the 33 accessions tested in the genera Anthyllis, Astragalus, Lotus, and Lupinus.