8th INTERNATIONAL WHEAT CONFERENCE

gLoBAL INITIATIVeS foR mANAgemeNT of ug99
STem RuST RACe ANd ReACTIoNS of WINTeR WheAT
geNoTyPeS To ug99 IN 2009 yeAR
Kadir Akan 1 , Zafer Mert 1 , Lütfi Çetin 1 ,
Fazıl Düsünceli 2 , Ruth Wanyera 3 , Davinder Singh 4
1 The Central Research Institute for Field Crops, Sehit Cem Ersever Cd. No.9-11 Yenihamalle/
Ankara, Turkey
2 Agriculture Counselor Embassy of Turkey Via Palestro 28, 00185 Roma/Italia
3 KARI Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Kenya
4 CIMMYT, Kenya
E-mail Address of presenting author: mert_zafer@yahoo.com
Wheat (Triticum spp.) is among the most important and strategic products of Turkey and
interest large number of producers in the country. Stem rust (Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici)
is very important, which is one of the most significant biotic factors affecting wheat
yield and quality in Turkey. Through sexual production and mutation, stem rust fungi
can produce often more virulent pathotypes that can infect different wheat genotypes
which may be resistant previously, resulting in new epidemics. For example, new yellow
rust race which originated in Kenya in 1986 caused 0, 5 million tones of yield losses in
Cukurova region in 1995. First record for UG99 stem rust rust race was Uganda in 1998
and now spread throughout East Africa, Yemen, Sudan and Iran, with further predicted
spread towards North Africa, Middle East, Asia and beyond, has raised serious concerns
of major epidemics that could destroy the wheat crop in various areas. A new race of
the wheat stem rust fungus that has overcome the resistance gene Sr31 was designated
as TTKSK using the North American nomenclature system. Screening of international
wheat germplasm has revealed a very low frequency of resistant varieties, and 80% or
more of the world’s wheat is now considered stem rust susceptible which this race has
forced many important wheat producing countries to search for solutions. A global initiative
(BGRI Borlaug Global Rust Initiative) has been established to set global management
strategies by under the new race/pathotype threat countries and international organization.
Turkey is one of the active member countries of this BGRI and carries out following
activities.
In this study, we focused on 1) Monitoring the spread of race Ug99 with the collaboration
of international institutes. 2) Determination of resistant germplasm against this race. A
total of 44 winter wheat genotypes that some of them resistant also to local yellow rust
and stem rust population in Turkey was sent to Kenya to testing for UG99 in 2009. In
these genotypes, 17 genotypes were determined as a resistant to Ug 99. According to
this result, we can use these genotypes as resistant germplasm for released or crossing
programme. On the whole, the study has a great value in view of producing the necessary
information facilitating the control of stem rust with other some diseases through utilization
of genetic resistance which is the most environmentally and friendly method.
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