Transfer of stripe rust resistance from Aegilops variabilis to bread wheat

Abstract

In terms of area, the bread wheat producing regions of China comprise the largest area in the world that is constantly threatened by stripe rust epidemics. Consequently, it is important to exploit new adultplant resistance genes in breeding. This study reports the transfer of stripe rust resistance from Aegilops variabilis to bread wheat resulting in resistant line, TKL2(R). Genetic analysis of the segregating populations derived from a cross between TKL2(R) and a susceptible sister line, TKL2(S), indicated that the adult-plant resistance to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in TKL2(R) is conferred by a single dominant gene. This gene provided resistance to physiological races currently endemic to China, thus indicating its potential usefulness in wheat breeding.

Keywords: Aegilops variabilis, gene transfer, Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, Triticum aestivum, wide hybridization