The latest version of the Mehtaensis newsletter (a 6 monthly newsletter named after Prof. K.C. Mehta) has just been published by ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Regional Station, Flowerdale, Shimla. Compiled and edited by Pramod Prasad, Hanif Khan, O.P. Gangwar, and S.C. Bhardwaj with technical assistance from S.B. Singh and Subodh Kumar. Mehtaensis contains a detailed summary of all the rust activities and race analysis results from India and neighbouring South Asian countries during the period Jan – July 2016. The executive summary is reproduced here:
“A new Lr gene was identified in local wheat LWH2. This gene confers resistance to all the pathotypes of Puccinia triticina (except pathotype 5R9-7) in India. Wheat rusts did not appear in epidemic form during 2015-16 in India. The sporadic occurrence of yellow rust was reported from few areas of North western plains and northern hills zones, but its further spread was halted through joint efforts of ICAR-IIWBR, SAUs, State Department of Agriculture and farmers. Black rust was restricted to Central and Peninsular India whereas brown rust was observed across all the zones but their severity and incidence was quite low. During 2015-16, 1028 samples of different rusts of wheat and barley were received/collected for pathotype analyses from Ravi and off season crops. About 580 samples of three rusts of wheat and yellow rust of barley were analyzed. Many of the yellow rust samples could not be revived. Yellow rust population was avirulent to resistance genes Yr5, Yr10, Yr11, Yr12, Yr13, Yr14, Yr15 & YrSp and black rust to Sr 26, Sr 27, Sr31, Sr32, Sr 35, Sr39, Sr 40, Sr 43, SrTt3 & SrTmp; and brown rust to Lr24, Lr25, Lr29, Lr32, Lr39, Lr42 and Lr45. The frequency of pathotype 46S119 (virulent on Yr2, Yr3, Yr4, Yr6, Yr7, Yr8, Yr9, Yr17, Yr18, Yr19, Yr21, Yr22, Yr23, Yr25, YrA) of yellow rust, 79G31 (virulent on Sr2, Sr5, Sr6, Sr7b Sr9a, Sr9b,Sr9c, Sr9d, Sr9f, Sr9g, Sr10, Sr13, Sr14, Sr15, Sr16, Sr17, Sr18, Sr19, Sr20, Sr21, Sr28, Sr29, Sr30, Sr34, Sr36, Sr38, SrMcN) of black rust and 121R60-1 (virulent on Lr1, Lr3, Lr10, Lr11, Lr12, Lr13, Lr14a, Lr14b,Lr14ab, Lr15, Lr16, Lr17a, Lr17b, Lr18, Lr20, Lr21, Lr22a, Lr22b, Lr23, Lr26,Lr27+31, Lr30, Lr33, Lr34, Lr35, Lr36, Lr37, Lr38, Lr44, Lr46, Lr48, Lr49) of brown rust was the maximum in their respective categories. Continue reading