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Yellow Rust Epidemics Worldwide Were Caused by Pathogen Races from Divergent Genetic Lineages

Sajid Ali1, Julian Rodriguez-Algaba1, Tine Thach1

  • 1Department of Agroecology, Global Rust Reference Centre, Aarhus UniversitySlagelse, Denmark.

Frontiers in Plant Science
|July 6, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Recent wheat yellow rust epidemics are driven by a few divergent pathogen lineages, not just clonal ones. This highlights the unpredictable nature of emerging races and the need for enhanced global surveillance.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Pathology
  • Population Genetics
  • Agricultural Science

Background:

  • Wheat yellow rust, caused by *Puccinia striiformis*, poses a significant threat to global food security.
  • Recent epidemics suggest a complex population structure of the pathogen, but whether driven by few lineages or diverse races remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of *Puccinia striiformis* isolates responsible for recent global wheat yellow rust epidemics.
  • To determine if epidemics are driven by a few clonal lineages or a diverse population of races.

Main Methods:

  • Race phenotyping of 887 *Puccinia striiformis* isolates from 35 countries (2009-2015).
  • Analysis of geographical distribution and prevalence of different races and genetic lineages.
  • Correlation of race prevalence with virulence to specific wheat resistance genes (*Yr* genes).

Main Results:

  • Epidemics were driven by races from a few, highly divergent genetic lineages, not solely clonal ones.
  • Specific lineages (e.g., *PstS1*, *PstS2*, *PstS4*-*PstS10*) showed distinct geographical prevalence and virulence patterns.
  • South Asian populations exhibited the highest diversity with frequent recombination, lacking a predominant race.

Conclusions:

  • Emergence of new, highly epidemic-potential races is unpredictable, necessitating increased investment in pathogen population biology and global surveillance.
  • Understanding pathogen diversity and disease vulnerability is crucial for deploying resistant wheat varieties effectively.
  • Invasions play a role in shaping pathogen populations across geographical regions.
Keywords:
Puccinia striiformisgeographical regionsresistance deploymentvirulence phenotypingwheat

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