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ABSTRACT
Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops of Ethiopia.Stem rust (black rust) caused by
Puccinia graminis f.sp.tritici is one of the most important air borne diseases of wheat
(Triticum aestivum) in the high lands of Ethiopia, including North and South Gondar
administrative zones. The pathogen is capable to produce new physiological races that attack
resistant varieties and develop epidemic under favorable environmental conditions which
results in a serious yield loss. However, information on the status of stem rust distribution and
races in North and South Gondar zones is limited. Wheat stem rust damage samples were
collected in 2016 and 2017 in the North and South Gondar administrative zones of Wegera,
Debark, and Farta and Lay Gayint districts. Thus, this study was carried out to investigate the
distribution and intensity of wheat stem rust and to detect the virulence spectrum of P.
graminis f.sp. tritici. The survey result showed that out of the 95 wheat fields assessed in the
two zones, 70.91% were infected by the stem rust disease. The overall mean incidence and
severity of wheat stem rust in both zones was 4.76% and 3.31% respectively during 2016 main
cropping season and out of the 55 wheat fields assessed in the two administrative zones,
91.5% were infected by the stem rust disease. The overall mean incidence and severity of
wheat stem rust in both administrative zones was 49.59% and 23.41% in both zones during
2017 main cropping season respectively. The physiologic races of the rust fungus were
determined on seedlings of the standard wheat stem rust differentials following the
international system of nomenclature. One hundred fifty samples were analyzed in 2016 and
2017 cropping seasons which were collected from Wegera, Debark, Farta and Lay Gayint
districts of North and South Gondar administrative zones. From 95 samples analyzed in 2016
three races which included TKTTF, TTTTF and RRTTF were identified. Similarly three races
namely, TKTTF, TTTTF and TTRTF were identified from 55 stem rust samples analyzed in
2017. Race TKTTF (Digelu race) was predominant and widely distributed in all the zones with
xv
72.7% and 38.1% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. It was virulent on all the Sr genes except
Sr11, Sr24 and Sr31. The widest virulence spectrum was noted on race TTTTF making 90% of
the Sr genes non-effective. This race also had wide spatial distribution next to TKTTF with
frequencies of 18.9% and 57.1% in 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons, respectively. Races
RRTTF and TTRTF were detected only at single locations in the two seasons. Most genes
possessed by the differentials were ineffective against one or more of the tested isolates. Only
the differential host carrying Sr24 and Sr31 were effective to all the races identified in the
districts. Stem rust resistance gene Sr24 and Sr31 was found to confer resistance to all of the
races isolated in this study.These genes could be used in combination with other genes
through gene pyramiding in breeding for resistance to stem rust in the study area.
Key words: Differentials, Puccinia graminis f.sp.tritici, Race, Stem rust |
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