Response of wheat genotypes for yield and yellow rust under the rain-fed conditions

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), is an essential cereal crop in the world. It is an inexpensive source of protein and calories. It has the potential of bridging the gap between production and consumption in the country. Wheat is vulnerable against various biotic and abiotic stresses, which affect the yield of crops. Among these stresses, yellow rust is most common and patent one which is caused by Puccinia striiformis. This paper highlights the wheat genotypes which are resistant to yellow rust at the molecular level as well as field conditions. Sixteen wheat genotypes were collected from different wheat research stations of Pakistan. Molecular work was completed at National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB), Islamabad while field experiment was performed at Research Farm-Koont, Chakwal under the rain-fed conditions followed by Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The research findings indicated that wheat genotypes Morocco and Chakwal-50 were very highly susceptible to yellow rust, while Markaz-19 and ESWYT-85 were only moderately susceptible. In contrast, Zincol-16 and the advance lines 20C-220, SAWYT-22, 20C-196, and 20C-198 were highly resistant. The Q. S3 and Q. S4 advance lines were performed moderately resistant on the basis of Coefficient Infection (CI). In this research different molecular markers were used for validation of yellow rust (Yr) genes. However, four different yellow rust (Yr) resistant genes were identified in present research such as Yr5, Yr 26, Yr36 and Yr61. Selection of these advance lines for breeding programme could be better option against yellow rust.