Possibility of cereals protection against rusts by resistant breeding method

Abstract

In the years 1999-2001 field trials were run on susceptibility of wheat and triticale genotypes to infection by three rust fungi (<i>Puccinia recondita, Puccinia graminis, Puccinia striiformis</i>). The results of the observation of the infection level in following years have been similar. Among genotypes of winter wheat, breeding lines susceptible to <i>Puccinia striiformis</i> infection were rare, but among spring wheat 50% of genotypes were susceptible to yellow rust infection. A much higher level of sensitivity than in the case of winter wheat has been found in winter triticale genotypes. Wheat genotypes were distinguished by the high sensitivity to <i>Puccinia graminis</i> infection, only a few breeding lines were resistant to stem rust. The susceptibility of wheat to brown rust (<i>Puccinia recondita</i>) was a common feature. Triticale genotypes compared to wheat were affected significantly less and majority of them exhibited high level of resistant to brown rust. The use of the breeding method has justification in control yellow rust of winter wheat. Recommended cultivars are almost all fully resistant to <i>Puccinia striiformis</i> infection. The application of this method in selection of spring wheat and triticale is in large past limited. Some of the registered cultivars of spring wheat and triticale are very susceptible to yellow rust. Using the breeding method to protect wheat from stem rust and brown rust is of little practical benefit in our county at this moment. But it can be effecive to control stem and brown rusts of triticale.