Leaf rust resistance of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lines derived from interspecific crosses

Abstract

Wheat lines which possess resistance to leaf rust were developed from the cultivar crosses between bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and wild cereal species: jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica Host), tausch’s goatgrass (Aegilops tauschii Coss.), wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides Koern.) and synthetic species Triticum erebuni Gandil. Resistance of breeding lines was examined at the seedling stage of wheat plants after artificial inoculation. Resistance genes Lr21, Lr22a, Lr24 (T1BL.1BS-3Ae#1L), Lr32, Lr34, Lr39, Lr42, Lr53 and T1AL.1RS were identified by a molecular analysis using sequence-tagged sites (STS) and simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. Comparison of data of phytopathological evaluation and molecular-genetic analysis of breeding lines revealed that leaf rust resistance was conferred by a combination of several genes. The combination of genes Lr24+Lr34+T1AL.1RS conferred resistance, Lr24+Lr34+Lr21, T1AL.1RS+Lr24 and Lr21+T1AL.1RS+Lr24 conferred resistance and moderate resistance.