MOLECULAR MARKER-BASED EVALUATION OF MICRO YIELD TRIAL FOR LEAF RUST AND YELLOW RUST

Like in many other wheat-producing regions of the world, Pakistan's wheat crops are susceptible to two common fungal diseases: leaf (Lr) and yellow rust (Yr). The present study was conducted to screen rust resistance potential of 50 advance lines of spring wheat. In this work, DNA markers associated with various genes that provide resistance to leaf rusts and yellow rust were used. A total of 10 genes, consisting of seven Lr (Lr10, Lr19, Lr28, Lr29, Lr34, Lr46, Lr67) and three Yr (Yr5, Yr10, Yr15) were studied through linked DNA markers. Marker Lr10 and SCS265 identified the presence of the Lr10 and Lr 19 gene in 30 and one advance lines out of the 50 advances lines correspondingly, indicating their resistance to leaf rust. Marker SCS421 for Lr 28 and Lr 29 for Lr 29 amplified in 34 and 50 wheat advance lines. Marker csLV34 and XMC44 detected the presence of the Lr34/YR18/Pm38 and Lr46/YR29/Pm39 gene in 5 and 13 lines respectively. The Yr-5/Yr43 and Yr 10 genes were detected in 9 and 31 wheat lines by Wms501 and Xpsp3000, suggesting that these lines may be resistant to rust. There was no amplification of markers CFD 23 for Lr67/Yr46/Sr55/ and Xgwm413 for Yr 15 in any wheat line. This particular subset of wheat lines, including AKHBAR-19, 10141, V-20330, PGMB-20-48, V-19080, INDUS-21, NR-564, and WVH-1214, attributed to selective breeding practices or spontaneous allelic accumulation.