Resistance to leaf rust in cultivars and wheat lines of Paraguay

Leaf rust (LR) of bread wheat (Triticum aestvium L.), caused by the fungus Puccinia triticina Eriks, is one of the most important diseases in Paraguay, the Southern Cone and worldwide. The economic importance of the disease is clear considering that two or more fungicide applications are necessary to control it in susceptible cultivars. The best strategy for the management of this disease is through genetic resistance. This research was conducted in Uruguay aiming to postulate the LR resistance genes present in 102 lines and wheat cultivars from Paraguay, and to study their field resistance. The presence of 18 major resistance genes expressed at the seedling stage (Lr1, Lr2, Lr3a, Lr3bg, Lr3ka, Lr9, Lr10, Lr11, Lr16, Lr17, Lr23, Lr24, Lr26, Lr27+Lr31, Lr28, Lr30, Lr42) was postulated based on the reaction to different races of the pathogen. The adult plant resistance gene Lr34 was confirmed in 26% of the materials, based on the molecular marker csLV34. This study also allowed differentiating materials with field resistance that can be explained by the seedling resistance and those with adult plant resistance. Knowledge of the resistance genes present in the germplasm of breeding programs is of paramount importance to establish strategies in order to achieve effective and long-lasting resistance based mainly on the combination of race-non-specific minor genes.