Fighting wheat rusts in China: a look back and into the future

Abstract

Abstract Wheat rusts, including stripe, leaf, and stem rusts, are severe wheat diseases and cause huge yield loss in China annually. Benefiting from utilizing the genetic resistance wheat varieties, wheat stem rust has been effectively controlled since the 1970s; however, the wheat stripe and leaf rusts are still threating the wheat production in China due to lack of effective agricultural regulations. This review summarizes the research advances on wheat rust physiology, epidemiology, and fungicide resistance in China. In addition, the corresponding field management strategies for the integrated control of rust diseases are also discussed.

Keywords

• Wheat stripe rust
• Wheat leaf rust
• Wheat stem rust
• Epidemiology
• Fungicide resistance
• Integrated management