Development of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Parental Line to Attain Durable Rust Resistant

PI: Dr. Yemisrach Melkie
Short description:

Wheat rusts have been ongoing problems for wheat production probably since domestication of the crop. Rusts are among the most important threats that challenge wheat production in Ethiopia one of the top wheat producer in Africa. Growing cultivars resistant to rust is the most sustainable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for controlling rust diseases. However, recurrent outbreaks of resistance varieties and debilitated of many wheat varieties in major production areas are the major problems in Ethiopia. Planting of single resistant cultivar in wider areas for long period, new race (s) of the pathogen may develop and overcome the resistance of a new variety. Thus experience highlights the need for durable disease resistance in crop plants. More advanced breeding approaches using quantitative disease resistance genes and resistance gene pyramids are being used to combat wheat rusts. Adoption of thus breeding methodologies is needed to maintain resistance efficacy in developing new varieties .Therefore the objective of this project is supporting Ethiopian wheat breeding program by developed parental lines for wheat rust resistant traits (stem rust and strip rust) using molecular genetic tools that can facilitate the development of new durable resistance varieties.