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Performance of Four New Leaf Rust Resistance Genes Transferred to Common Wheat from Aegilops tauschii and Triticum monococcum

The objective of this study was to test the performance of four new wheat leaf rust resistance genes previously transferred from wild relatives of common wheat. Leaf rust resistance gene Lr43, in wheat germplasm line KS92WGRC16, was originally from Aegilops tauschii. A second resistance gene, in line KS92WGRC23, was transferred from Triticum monococcum var. monococcum. Two other genes, in lines KS93U3 and KS96WGRC34, were obtained from T. monococcum var. boeoticum. In greenhouse tests, the typical low infection types produced by these lines were fleck (;), immune (0), fleck with chlorosis (;C), and heterogeneous (X-) for KS92WGRC16, KS92WGRC23, KS96WGRC34, and KS93U3, respectively. In field tests in Kansas and Texas, KS92WGRC23 and KS92WGRC16 were highly resistant. KS93U3 was moderately resistant in Kansas but moderately resistant to moderately susceptible in Texas. KS96WGRC34 was moderately resistant in Kansas but moderately resistant to susceptible in Texas. Greenhouse adult-plant tests with race PBJL of Puccinia recondita f. sp. tritici indicated that KS92WGRC16, KS92WGRC23, and KS96WGRC34 were highly resistant, but KS93U3 gave a moderately resistant reaction. Growth-chamber studies in different environments (12, 16, 20, and 24°C) showed slight temperature effects on the expression of resistance in KS96WGRC34 but not in the other lines. Tests with nine races of P. recondita f. sp. tritici indicated that only KS92WGRC16 was resistant to all the races. Races PNML and PNMQ were virulent on KS92WGRC23, and race TFGL was virulent on both KS93U3 and KS96WGRC34. The genes in the four germplasm lines should be used in combination with other resistance genes to prolong their usefulness.