SOURCES OF RESISTANCE TO TILLETIA-INDICA IN WHEAT

Experimental wheat (Triticum aestivum) lines and cultivars from China, India, and from the Americas, were resistant to Tilletia indica, the causal agent of the Karnal bunt disease, compared with the controls. Wheat was screened by artificial inoculation at the best stage on plants from three sowing dates by injection of a suspension of 10 000 sporidia ml(-1). The experiment was repeated over 2-4 years. The mean percentage infection, based on the number of infected and healthy grains, ranged from 0.61 to 2.95%, from 0.19 to 2.21% and from 0.41 to 1.99% for Karnal bunt resistant American, Chinese and Indian wheat lines, respectively. The mean percentage infection of the susceptible check for those groups was 60.5, 63.5 and 63.5%.