PURSUIT OF THE STRIPE RUST (PUCCINIA STRIIFORMIS F. SP. TRITICI (PST) DISEASE RESISTANCE AND ITS RELATION WITH MORPHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES IN WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.)

Abstract

Wheat, one of the most widely cultivated crops in the world is under continuous threat from rust diseases. Among different rusts, stripe (yellow) rust is a major cause of yield losses in wheat around the world. Identifying disease resistance against stripe rust in wheat crop is a key strategy in overcoming this menace. For this purpose, 31 genotypes were screened in field under artificial inoculation of stripe rust and diversity was assessed based on their morphological attributes. Stripe rust severity recorded on the basis of modified Cobb’s scale showed that genotypes Anaj, 219, 220, 242, 245, 249, 278, 284, 293 (V45) were completely resistant while genotypes Morocco, Gandum, Sehar, TD 1 and Abdlstar were highly susceptible. Genotypes 92, 242, 245, 293(V45), Gandum, Abdlstar, TD 1 and Morocco were more diverse of all the genotypes on the basis of morphological traits as verified by biplot and dendrograms. Correlation and principal component analyses showed plant height (PH) had the positive relation with spike length (SL), peduncle length (PL) and number of spikelets per spike (NS). While NS had a positive relation with flag leaf area (FL). Genotypes assessed along with their morphological diversity could be studied further for being potential sources of resistance against stripe rust.