Leaf rust resistance in barley accessions from Ethiopia

Currently, the problem of broadening the diversity of cultivated barley varieties based on the effective genes for resistance to the leaf rust causal agent Puccinia hordei has become relevant. In 2018–2019 the resistance of 925 barley accessions from Ethiopia to the northwestern (St. Petersburg, Pushkin) pathogen population was evaluated. The accessions were sown at a later date, favoring to severe plant damage. The resistance was assessed during the heading period and over the milk ripening stage using a point scale. The results of the experiments have indicated a low diversity of Ethiopian barley according to the studied trait. Only 4 accessions have been resistant to P. hordei, and 3 breeding lines (k-30810, k-30811 and k-30812) have been protected by the previously identified Rph7 gene, which efficiency has been decreasing in recent years. The accession k-21919 has possessed a high level of resistance to the pathogen (i.e. lack of damage symptoms) and therefore it can be recommended for utilization in barley breeding.