Abstract

Mohamed C. Sharif , Boutros Hamama , Atef Ali Barakat and Kamal O. Amar

Breeding for resistance is an efficient strategy to manage wheat leaf rust (Lr) caused by Puccinia triticina f. sp. tritici. However, a prerequisite for the directed use of Lr genes in breeding and detection of new races virulent is a detailed knowledge on these genes present in wheat cultivars. Molecular markers are ideal for the identification of resistance genes in wheat genotypes with unknown genetic background. Therefore, molecular markers were conducted using specific SSR primers to screen ten out of fifteen Egyptian wheat cultivars which exhibited high resistance against P. triticina f. sp. tritici in four locations (Dakahlia, Kafr elSheikh, Beheira and Sharqia) during seasons 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. The obtained results showed that Lr9 was present in two cultivars namely Sids-12 and Sids-13, while Lr25 was found in all ten tested cultivars except Gemmeiza-11 cultivar. Lr28 was found in five cultivars, that is, Giza-168, Sids-12, Misr-2, Sakha-94 and Misr-1. On the other hand, Lr25, Lr29 and Lr67 genes were detected in all tested cultivars. Thus, the uses of molecular markers facilitate the incorporation of the major leaf rust resistance genes (Lr genes) responsible for resistance into new cultivars and the pyramiding of these genes. Further suggestion shows that the amplification of specific PCR products is an easy and repeatable method, which will be useful in automating the detection of resistance genes in released wheat breeding lines.