Abstract
Leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Eriks) is the most common rust disease of wheat in wheat-producing areas of Ethiopia. The use of cultivars with durable resistance is the most economical way of controlling the disease. Field experiments were conducted at Ambo Plant Protection Research Center, Ethiopia during 2013 to 2014 main cropping seasons to reveal variability for field based slow rusting resistance to leaf rust among 18 improved wheat cultivars grown in Ethiopia. Parameters used as criteria to identify slow rusting included final rust severity (FRS), coefficient of infection (CI), relative area under disease progress curve (rAUDPC) and infection rate (Inf-rate). Among these parameters, FRS, CI and rAUDPC were found to be reliable to assess slow rusting in the cultivars. The results revealed that wheat cultivars Pavon 76, Africa Mayo, Bonny, Galili, Qulqulu, Hawi and Senqegna had low disease severities ( 30%) and CI (< 20) and were identified to have good level of slow rusting resistance. Cultivars Kubsa, Galama and PBW 343 had moderate values for slow rusting parameters and were identified as possessing moderate level of slow rusting. The slow rusting cultivars identified from the current study can be used for further manipulation in wheat improvement programs. Key words: Leaf rust, Puccinia triticina, resistance, slow rusting, wheat.
Highlights
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the major food crops in the world
Diverse field reactions ranging from resistance (R) to susceptible (S) responses were observed at the trial
Based on final rust severity, the tested wheat cultivars were grouped into two groups of slow rusting resistance, that is, high and moderate levels of partial resistance having 1-30 and 31
Summary
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the major food crops in the world. It is used by more than one-third of its population as a staple food (Kumar et al, 2011). The current total area devoted to wheat production in Ethiopia is estimated to be over 1.6 million hectare (CSA, 2015). Despite the large area under wheat, average yield in Ethiopia is estimated around 2.54 t ha-1 which is far less than potential yields of 8 to 10 t ha (CSA, 2015). The low productivity is partially attributed to the prevalence of wheat rust diseases and lack of durable resistant variety.
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