Evaluation of advanced bread spring wheat lines for field and seedling resistance to foliar pathogens

Abstract

Foliar diseases (rusts and blotches) significantly limit the yield of spring wheat in the Southern Urals. The aim of the research was a comprehensive assessment of 17 promising lines of bread spring wheat, created at the Chelyabinsk Research Institute of Agriculture, for disease resistance and their identification of Lr genes. Resistance to leaf and stem rusts, Paraganospora nodorum leaf blotch and tan spot was studied in the field and laboratory conditions. All studied lines were characterized by high level of resistance to leaf and stem rusts in the seedling and adult plant stages. A wide representation of the LrSp gene (individually or in combination with noneffective genes Lr1, Lr3, Lr10, Lr9), and genes Lr24/Sr24, Lr19/Sr25 and effective combinations of seedling (Lr9 + Lr26/Sr31) and adult plant (Lr34/Sr57 and Lr21) resistance genes was revealed using molecular markers. Multiple resistance to rust and blotches (Paraganospora nodorum leaf blotch and tan spot) was detected in the Ferr. 26768 line. Molecular analysis showed the presence of adult plant resistance genes Lr34/Sr57 + Lr21 in combination with Lr10 gene. Along with diseases resistance, Ferr. 26768 line is promising in terms of a set of economically valuable attributes (lodging resistance, grain quality, yield).