Genome Wide Association Analysis For Leaf Rust Resistance In Spring Wheat (Triticum Aestivum) Germplasm

Leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina, is an important disease of wheat in Pakistan and many other wheat growing countries. Seventy six leaf rust resistance genes have been cataloged based on genetic analysis in different mapping populations. A majority of these genes belong to all stage resistance category. Only a small proportion of these genes are currently effective against P. triticina pathotypes of Pakistan. A set of 94 wheat genotypes was scored for adult plant leaf rust response variation under field conditions in Faisalabad, Pakistan during the 2011 and 2012 crop seasons and was genotyped by using 203 microsatellite markers covering all 21 wheat chromosomes. Marker-leaf rust associations were determined using single marker tests. The most important genomic regions for leaf rust resistance were IDS, 4AL, 4BL, 5AS, 5BS, 6AL, 6BS, 6DS. Different loci that were not mapped in previous studied were tagged to different chromosomal locations thus the tagged loci may be further studied for identification and designation of new genes to different chromosomes. This will help the wheat breeders to use this information for the development of new resistant cultivars against wheat leaf rust via utilizing marker assisted selection. (C) 2018 Friends Science Publishers