Stripe Rust Partial Resistance Increases Spring Bread Wheat Yield in South-eastern Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

Stripe rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici is the most serious disease of wheat globally including south-eastern Anatolia of Turkey, where wheat originated. In this study, 12 spring wheat genotypes were artificially inoculated and preserved in two locations, Diyarbakr and Adyaman, during the 2011-2012 season to investigate loss in yield and yield components. Genotypes were evaluated at the adult plant stage using two partial resistance parameters: final disease severity and area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). AUDPC ranged from 14.8 to 860 in Diyarbakr, and 74 to 760 in Adyaman. Yield loss ranged from 0.6 to 68.5% in Diyarbakr and 9.8 to 56.8% in Adyaman. Genotypes G1, G5, G7 and G8 were found to lose less yield, while higher yield loss was observed in G3, G4 (Nurkent), G5 and G9 (Karacada-98). The highest loss in thousand kernel weight was observed in a susceptible cultivar Karacada-98 in Diyarbakr followed by 43.4 and 24.4% in Adyaman. Test weight loss reached 8.89% in Diyarbakr and 20.8% in Adyaman. Yield loss and AUDPC had a positive significant relationship. Based on the values of AUDPC, final disease severity and yield loss, three major clusters were formed for 12 wheat genotypes. Partially resistant genotypes were found to lose less grain yield and seemed to be stronger against severe stripe rust pressure.