Abstract

AbstractZymoseptoria tritici, the causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch, has emerged and evolved as a pathogen on wheat in the Fertile Crescent. Iran is located in this region, and study on the ancient pathogen populations in the country can improve our understanding on adaptive potential of aggressiveness, the role of local adaptation in shaping population structure and the involvement of selection and genetic drift in favouring aggressiveness adaptation to environments. To this aim, three aggressiveness components including days until first lesion (DUFL), days until first pycnidia (DUFP) and percentage of leaf area covered by pycnidia, in five populations of the pathogen collected from different provinces of Iran were compared in greenhouse conditions. All populations except for Golestan showed high within‐population diversity for the examined traits. No difference in aggressiveness components was found between fungal collections from Khuzestan and Fars; however, significant variation was evident among the populations originated from other provinces. Comparisons of estimated QST values to FST indicated that genetic differentiation in pycnidial coverage has been the result of selection imposed by different variables; however, the divergence found for DUFL and DUFP has been achieved by genetic drift. The possible mechanisms involved in aggressiveness diversity of the pathogen populations and the impact of these findings on breeding programs for quantitative resistance are discussed.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.