Virulence in Puccinia recondita f. sp. tritici isolates from Canada to genes for adult-plant resistance to wheat leaf rust

Sixty-seven isolates of Puccinia recondita f. sp. tritici collected in Canada were tested for virulence to adult plants of Thatcher near-isogenic wheat lines with leaf rust resistance genes Lr13, Lr22a, Lr34, Lr35, and Lr13 and Lr34 combined. All of the isolates had low infection type to the Thatcher lines with Lr22a and Lr35. All isolates had lower infection type and lower rust severity on the Thatcher line with Lr34 compared with Thatcher. The isolates were polymorphic for virulence to the Thatcher line with Lr13; many isolates were completely virulent to this line, and other isolates produced very low or intermediate avirulent infection type. On the Thatcher line with Lr13 and Lr34 combined, many isolates had infection type and rust severity similar to the Thatcher line with Lr34, while other isolates had lower infection type and rust severity compared with the single-gene lines with Lr13 or Lr34. Fifteen isolates with low, intermediate, and high infection type to adult plants with Lr13 were tested for infection type on seedling plants of the Thatcher lines with resistance genes Lr13, Lr22a, Lr34, Lr35, and Lr37, and on Thatcher lines with Lr13 paired with seedling resistance genes. Most isolates were completely virulent to seedling plants with Lr13 and Lr22a. Plants with Lr37 expressed seedling resistance to all isolates tested. Seedling plants with Lr34 had lower infection types to all isolates compared with Thatcher. Seedlings with Lr35 had high infection types to most isolates, with varying amounts of chlorosis. The Thatcher lines with Lr13 plus seedling resistance genes were most resistant to the isolates that had very low infection types on adult plants with Lr13 and intermediate infection types on plants with seedling resistance genes. Genes Lr22a, Lr35, and Lr37 offer additional sources of highly effective leaf rust resistance in wheat.