Prospects of Using of Genetic Potential of Triticum timopheevii for Durable Defense of Common Wheat from Leaf Rust

Abstract

Common wheat is the main grain crop in Russia. In the last decade, the development of leaf rust caused by the pathogenic fungus Puccinia triticina Erikss on the wheat was enhanced. To increase grain production and obtain environmentally friendly products, it is necessary to use varieties resistant to disease. Common wheat is cultivated over large areas in Western Siberia. In this region an aggressive Asian population of P. triticina, differed from the European one, exists on the crops. For durable defense of varieties from rust diseases, it is necessary to enrich the wheat genome with new resistance genes from the related cereals. The rare species Triticum timopheevii Zhuk. is considered a promising issue of resistance to fungal diseases, but its immunity has been confirmed mainly in the European part of Russia and in North America. The aim of the work was to monitor the resistance of T. timopheevii to leaf rust in Western Siberia and to determine the promising accessions for breeding programs. The adult resistance of T. timopheevii accessions was evaluated in the field conditions on intensive infectious background in 2011-2018 in the South of Western Siberia (Omsk). Additionally the reactions of seedlings to infection were estimated in laboratory. Damage of the plants by leaf rust was characterized by type, score/ percentage. The tendency to shift the type of seedling reaction from immune to susceptible was shown. Beside it the regular weak damage of adult plants of some T. timopheevii specimens was noted in the field in 2014-2018. Among a set of T. timopheevii accessions the promising specimens were determined with stable resistance to the Asian population of P. triticina, which are suitable for breeding programs. The work has begun to include the resistant accessions in the breeding process.