Assessment of Wheat Foliar Rust Infestations in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Pothwar Regions of Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

In the present study, the incidence and severity of yellow rust and brown rust in different regions of Pothwar have been studied. The lower Pothwar region (Jhelum) had the highest incidence of brown rust with a prevalence of 54.3%, while Rawalpindi had the highest incidence of yellow rust in the upper region with a prevalence of 26.8%. In the middle region (Attock), brown rust incidence was the lowest with a prevalence of 4.6%. The severity of both rusts varied among locations, with some locations experiencing severe outbreaks while others had little or no incidence. The highest incidence of both rusts was observed in Harrial for yellow rust (90%) and Balla for brown rust (100%). The severity of rusts ranged from Resistant to Moderately Susceptible. The study examined the yield attributes of wheat crops in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Pothwar regions of Pakistan. The results showed that Rawalpindi district had the highest crop yield, while Jhelum had the lowest. The study also found a correlation between disease incidence and various environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, tillers per meter length, tillers per meter square, number of grains per spike, and grain weight. Yellow rust had a strong correlation with humidity, tillers per meter square, and grain weight, while brown rust showed a strong correlation with temperature, precipitation, and humidity. The study highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between environmental factors and crop yield to ensure food security.