Easy method to select plants with two effective leaf rust resistance genes from wheat hybrid populations

Wheat varieties with single effective gene for leaf rust resistance often quickly become susceptible because of multiplication of virulent Puccinia triticina genotypes. One of the methods to elongate term of effectiveness is to combine two genes in host genotype. To note, it is impossible to distinguish phenotypically plants or families having one or two genes in hybrid populations; the only method is to use PCR producing DNA markers linked to each gene for resistance. It is not convenient when necessary to analyze thousands plants or especially families of crosses between carriers of certain genes. At inoculation of wheat seedlings having Lr 9, 19, 24, 47, 29 and Sp with rust population from North-West region of Russian Federation all of them were absolutely resistant, so these genes may be considered to be effective in this region. Rust population was multiplied on cv. Leningradka leaf segments placed on cotton wool wetted with solution of maleic acid hidrazide (10 mg/l) + potassium chloride (0.48 g/l) +monosubstituted sodium phosphate (0.66 g/l) and used to infect seedling of the lines constantly poured with the solution. Rare pustules were recorded on each line. Isolates from the line were combined, multiplied and used to infect the lines set. Interaction specificity was shown for carriers of certain genes for resistance and inoculums. We propose to infect seedlings of hybrid wheat populations with mixtures of isolates virulent to first gene and those virulent to second one at use of above-mentioned method to multiply rust and grow plants. Seedlings resistant to that inoculum have both genes for resistance. If we have F3 or later families it is possible to use original population without selection of virulent isolates; in this case the method allowed removing progenies of heterozygous plants. With this approach we developed lines possessing combinations of Lr9+Lr24 and Lr9+Lr47 genes