RESISTANCE TO PUCCINIA GRAMINIS AVENAE AND P. CORONATA AVENAE IN THE WILD AND CULTIVATED AVENA POPULATIONS OF IRAN, IRAQ AND TURKEY

Abstract

Tests of over 1400 Avena accessions, comprising eight species, from Iran, Iraq and Turkey have shown that resistance to oat stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. avenae Eriks and E. Henn. occurs infrequently in the Avena populations of the region and was found only in A. barbata Pott ex Link and A. sterilis L. Resistance to oat crown rust caused by P. coronata Cda f. sp. avenae Eriks, was common in A. barbata from Turkey and in A. sterilis from all three countries. The inheritance of resistance conferred by two genes from the region, Pg-15 and Pc-54 is described. Gene Pg-15, the first stem rust resistance gene found in this region, is partially dominant and independent of the Pg-2, Pg-9, Pg-12 and Pg-13 loci. It conferred resistance to races that are important in North America. Gene Pc-54 was also the first crown rust resistance gene to be identified from this region. It was usually recessive, and allelic or closely linked with gene Pc-35.