First Report of Virulence for the Wheat Leaf Rust (Puccinia triticina) Resistance Gene Lr32 in South Africa
Authors: Pretorius Z. A. , Bender C. M. 
Published: February 2010

The wheat leaf rust resistance gene Lr32 was transferred from Aegilops tauschii Coss. to bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (1). Despite virulence for Lr32 in some isolates from Bulgaria, Israel, and Turkey, the gene has been reported to be effective in Australia, Mexico, the United States, and South Africa (1,2). A leaf rust isolate that differed in its avirulence/virulence profile from previously recorded races of Puccinia triticina Eriks. in South Africa was collected from triticale (× Triticosecale) in the Western Cape in 2005. According to the South African leaf rust differential set (3), this isolate (UVPt19) was avirulent for Lr3a, 3bg, 3ka, 10, 11, 16, 20, 26, and 30 and virulent for Lr1, 2a, 2b, 2c, 14a, 15, 17, 24, and Thatcher (Tc, control). Except for Lr20 in cv. Thew, all differentials are Tc near-isogenic lines. In comparison with known South African races (3), it differed from race 3SA132 at the Lr10 locus. Using standard rust pathology protocols (3), an expanded set of Lr gene lines (non Tc lines indicated) showed that UVPt19 is avirulent on wheat seedlings containing Lr9, 19, 21, 25, 27+31 (Gatcher), 29, 36 (ER84018), 37, 41 (KS91WGRC10), 44, 45, 47 (KS90H450), 50 (KS96WGRC36), 51 (R05), and 52, and virulent for Lr12, 22a, 23, 28, 32, 33, and 35. In the seedling stage, UVPt19 was virulent for the temperature sensitive genes Lr13, 18, and 34 at 25°C, but produced lower infection types (ITs) on Lr18 and 34 at 14 to 18°C. Seedlings of Pavon 76 (Lr46) were resistant (IT ;1=) to UVPt19. The susceptible response of lines carrying Lr32 was confirmed by high ITs (3++4) on RL5713/2*Mq, RL6086 (TcLr32), and RL5713/2*Mq//6*Palmiet. A control isolate (UVPt9) produced ITs ;1+, ;1+, and ;;1= on these lines, respectively. UVPt19 was virulent on line RL6092 (TcLr20) but avirulent on Thew. When tested on adult plants of lines RL6011 (TcLr12), CT263 (TcLr13), RL6044 (TcLr22a), RL6058 (TcLr34), RL6082 (TcLr35), RL6081 (TcLr37), and Tc (control), UVPt19 was only virulent (IT 3+) on CT263 and Tc. Flag leaves of RL6011 (IT ;1), RL6044 (IT 1), RL6058 (IT Z3-), RL6082 (IT 0;), and RL6081 (IT ;1) were resistant. UVPt19 was virulent on seedlings of 11 of 13 triticale cultivars and lines tested as opposed to UVPt9, which was virulent to only one entry. From a collection of 105 South African bread wheat cultivars and elite breeding lines, UVPt19 was virulent on 13 and five were mixed in their response to this isolate. All IT experiments were repeated. Although virulence has emerged for Lr32 in South Africa, the gene has not been used in local cultivars. Previously, McIntosh et al. (1) also reported that Lr32 has not been exploited in wheat production. On the basis of current evidence, UVPt19 appears to be potentially more damaging to triticale than bread wheat. Furthermore, the race seems rare because it was not collected in a recent wheat leaf rust survey in South Africa (3).

References: (1) R. A. McIntosh et al. The Wheat Rusts: An Atlas of Resistance Genes, CSIRO-Kluwer, Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 1995. (2) Z. A. Pretorius. Phytophylactica 21:195, 1989. (3) T. Tarekegn et al. S. Afr. J. Plant Soil 26:51, 2009.