The Wheat Leaf Rust Pathogen in Certain Areas of Ethiopia and its Effects on Durum Wheat Cultivars

Abstract

In brief, the study conducted in Ethiopia aimed to assess the impact of leaf rust, a significant threat to wheat cultivation, caused by the Puccinia triticina pathogen. The primary objectives were to identify the physiological races of this pathogen and evaluate the seedling resistance of Ethiopian durum wheat cultivars against them. The research collected twenty-four mono pustule isolates of P. triticina from various regions in Ethiopia and identified three distinct races: EEEE, BBBN, and BBBQ. Of these, BBBN was newly discovered in Ethiopia and displayed lower virulence compared to BBBQ and EEEE. EEEE showed high virulence, infecting a significant portion of tested durum wheat cultivars but interestingly not infecting Thatcher and its isoline, commonly used as leaf rust differential cultivars. The resistance of thirty-six commercial durum wheat cultivars and three landrace cultivars against the identified leaf rust races was assessed under controlled conditions. Several cultivars demonstrated resistance against all three leaf rust races, while the three landrace cultivars were found to be susceptible to all pathogen races. This study provides valuable insights into the diversity of leaf rust races affecting wheat in Ethiopia and identifies cultivars with promising resistance traits, offering potential strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of this disease on wheat production.