INHERITANCE OF VIRULENCE IN WHEAT LEAF RUST ON THE STANDARD DIFFERENTIAL WHEAT VARIETIES

Abstract

Populations of self-fertilized cultures from races 1, 9, 15 and 161 of wheat leaf rust were studied for inheritance of virulence on the eight standard differential wheat varieties. Race 9 was homozygous at all loci tested while the other races segregated at a number of loci. Recessive genes controlled virulence on the varieties Malalkof (gene Lr1) and Hussar (gene Lr11) respectively. Virulence to Mediterranean and Democrat was governed by a single recessive gene in race 1 and a single dominant gene in race 161. One recessive gene in races 1 and 15 governed virulence to the various alleles of the Lr2 locus, while in race 161 a second dominant gene altered the expression of avirulence of this gene on Loros (Lr2 4 ). An additional recessive gene for virulence interacted with gene LrB in Carina and Brevit. It is not known whether the gene for virulence, which corresponds to a particular host gene for resistance, is the same in each race of leaf rust that was studied. All genes for virulence segregated independently.