Molecular-genetic dissection of rice nonhost resistance to wheat stem rust

Rust diseases remain a significant threat to the production of most cereals including wheat. New sources of resistance are continually sought by breeders to combat the emergence of new pathogen races. Rice is atypical in that it is an intensively grown cereal with no known rust pathogen. The resistance of rice to cereal rust diseases is referred to as nonhost resistance (NHR), a resistance mechanism that has only recently become genetically tractable. In this report, the mechanisms of rice NHR to wheat stem rust and other cereal rust diseases are explored and the potential for transferring this durable disease resistance to wheat is considered. Approaches being undertaken for the molecular-genetic dissection of rice NHR to rust are described.