PHYSIOLOGIC RACES OF PUCCINIA GRAMINIS TRITICI IN CANADA, 1919 TO 1944

Abstract

During the period 1919 to 1944, 65 physiologic races were identified from a total of 4543 isolates derived from uredial collections of Puccinia graminis Pers. var. Tritici Erikss. & Henn. Forty-nine races were obtained in the Prairie Provinces from a study of 3475 isolates; 40 in Eastern Canada from 1013 isolates, and 12 in British Columbia from 55 isolates. During this period, the predominant races have shown notable fluctuations in their prevalence. Races 36, 17, and 21 were the most common races until shortly after 1930 and were largely responsible for the severe rust losses suffered by Marquis and other common wheats during the decade preceding that year. Races 34 and 49 were collected frequently from 1927 to about 1935. All of these races diminished greatly in their prevalence between 1930 and 1936, whereas race 56, which was first collected in Canada in 1931, has become the predominant race since 1934. It was this race that played a major part in the stem rust epiphytotic of 1935. Another recent change in the racial population was a recrudescence in 1940 of race17, which for several previous years had been of minor importance. In 1941 this race challenged the pre-eminent position of race 56 but receded again in succeeding years to minor significance.The distribution of races is somewhat similar but not identical in different parts of Canada. Races 36 and 21 have been relatively more common in the Prairie Provinces than in Eastern Canada, while the contrary is true of race 38. Only about a dozen of the 65 races collected in Canada have thus far assumed much economic importance, a few others may be considered of minor significance, but at least two-thirds of the races have been found only occasionally and have, for reasons not fully understood, failed to gain even a limited distribution.A comparison of the number of physiologic races collected in Eastern Canada and the Prairie Provinces, respectively, has indicated a somewhat greater variety of physiologic races in the former region, a condition that may perhaps be explained by the presence of the common barberry in many localities in Eastern Canada.