The UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey has monitored cereal rusts and mildews in the UK for more than 40 years and aims to warn the industry about new races of disease which threaten varietal resistance.
Its 2013 survey suggested ‘warrior type’ races were now most common – a type which first appeared in 2011 and which is more virulent against a greater range of resistance genes than other races.
Despite this, there are currently many winter wheat varieties with good resistance on the HGCA Recommended List 2014/15.
Yesterday’s UKCPVS annual meeting heard from Dr Diane Saunders of the Sainsbury Laboratory, an expert in rust genetics, whose work suggests warrior type races may have been brought into the UK, rather than evolving domestically.
A presentation from Dr Sajid Ali of the University of Agriculture in Peshawar supported the theory.
As part of a multinational project he has mapped out diversity in yellow rust populations. With increased global travel, there is a concern that new races could be spread more quickly than in the past where the wind was the main method of dispersal.
The HGCA believes plant breeders may need to consider the implications of Dr Saunders' and Dr Ali’s results.
- Amelia Hubbard and Dr Emma Coventry of NIAB also presented survey reports for brown rust and powdery mildew. The wheat brown rust population appears to be relatively stable although some resistance was more common compared to 2012.
- For wheat powdery mildew, there have been no major changes since 2012. The pattern of virulence frequencies in barley powdery mildew has generally remained stable during 2013 compared to previous years
- Both yellow rust and brown rust have been active in crops during the autumn and winter, creating the potential for epidemic development in the spring, depending on conditions. As new pathogen races can develop quickly it is important that all crops are monitored for disease and action where appropriate. HGCA guidance is available here.
- Presentations from the UKCPVS meeting can be found here.