Genetics and genomics of resistance to rust and stemphylium blight in lentil

Abstract

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) is an important pulse crop species which grows primarily in South-east Asia, Canada, North America, Middle Eastern countries, and Australia. Lentil crop, like any other food legumes affected by various biotic stresses. In many lentil growing regions, predominance of rust and stemphylium blight are reported causing high yield losses. Rust caused by Uromyces vicia-fabae Pers., an obligately biotroph and stemphylium blight caused by Stemphylium botryosum Wallr., a saprophyte. In this review, basic information regarding these two diseases along with inheritance of resistance genes and ongoing molecular breeding efforts to breed resistant lentil genotypes are briefly discussed.