First Structured Coefficient of Infection (CI) Based Evaluation of Yellow Rust Reactions in Primary and Secondary Tritipyrum Lines
摘要
Yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) remains one of the most destructive foliar diseases limiting global wheat production, and its impact has intensified with the emergence of new virulent races. Tritipyrum, an amphidiploid hybrid derived from Triticum durum and Thinopyrum bessarabicum, carries wide genetic diversity and strong abiotic stress tolerance, suggesting unexplored potential for durable rust resistance. This study provides the first systematic coefficient of infection (CI) based evaluation of yellow rust responses in 29 primary and secondary Tritipyrum lines across two seasons (2022–2023) under artificial epidemic conditions with race PSTS7 (Warrior). Disease severity and infection type were scored using the Modified Cobb Scale to calculate CI and ACI values.
Substantial phenotypic variation was detected, including four resistant, nine moderately resistant, seven moderately susceptible, and nineteen susceptible entries. One primary line (PL1) and six secondary lines (SL17, SL18, SL20, SL21, SL25, SL26) showed moderate resistance, indicating the presence of valuable resistance loci likely contributed by Thinopyrum bessarabicum. These findings highlight Tritipyrum’s underexplored value not only for rust resistance but also for improving wheat resilience to combined abiotic and biotic stresses, supported by its known roles in salt tolerance and stress-responsive physiological traits.
Overall, the study establishes a strong foundation for integrating Tritipyrum into wheat breeding pipelines and supports future efforts in QTL mapping, allele mining, and pyramiding strategies to enhance durable yellow rust resistance.