Exploring Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Accessions
Conserved in the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute Gene Bank
to Identify New Sources of Adult Plant Resistance to Yellow
(Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici) and Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis
f.sp. tritici) Diseases
Authors:
Muche Abebele G*, Ayele Zerihun A, Kasa Mariam D, Negash Gure T, Tesfaye H, Regassa S, Tafesse Solomon, Zewdu D, Feleke H, Sareta H, Basazen H, Sisay A
Author Affiliations
Muche Abebele G* Department of Plant Pathology, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia Email:
getnetmuche2014@gmail.com
Ayele Zerihun A Department of Plant Pathology, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Kasa Mariam D Department of Plant Pathology, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Negash Gure T Department of Plant Pathology, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Tesfaye H Department of Plant Pathology, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Regassa S Department of Plant Pathology, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Tafesse Solomon Department of Wheat breeding, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Zewdu D Department of Wheat breeding, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Feleke H Department of Plant entomology, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Sareta H Department of Weed science, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Basazen H Department of Weed science, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Sisay A Department of Research Panning, Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopia
Wheat is a key food security grain crop in the world including Ethiopia. The government of Ethiopia is dedicated to self-reliance through initiatives such as wheat area extension, irrigation enlargement and yield gap cessation. However, the stem rust and yellow rust currently poses the greatest threat to wheat production due to the emergence of the virulent race of the Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici, and warm temperature adapted yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici), races leading to about to 100% yield losses. This study was executed aiming at evaluating one hundred thirty nine bread wheat accessions and six check varieties on dedicated nurseries under natural infections for both stem and yellow rust diseases. Entries were field established in augmented design across two stripe rust hot-spot locations (Meraro and Bekoji) and one stem rust hot spot location for three ensuing growing season 2020-2022 for their slow rusting characteristics. Slow rusting resistance at the adult-plant stage was evaluated through the determination of final rust severity (FRS) and average coefficient of infection (ACI). Based on the summarized information’s of final rust severity and average coefficient of infections, most of the tested accessions and all checks displayed higher diseases severity. But five accessions with identification code 31346, 31405, 31643, 34209 and 34797 had low values of FRS and ACI across locations and over years were regarded as good slow rusting accessions. These accessions with high stem rust and yellow rust resistance are suggested for yield trials and release and/or could be backcrossed to the adapted and high yielding but susceptible Ethiopian wheat varieties to prevent further wheat yield declines as well as to broaden the genetic diversity of the available wheat germplasms.