PJB-2018-306
EXPLORATION OF CO-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WHEAT PATHOGEN PUCCINIA SPP. AND ITS SECONDARY HOST BERBERIS LYCIUM IN MURREE SUB-HILL ZONE OF PAKISTAN
YOUNAS SOHAIL
Abstract
Wheat is an important cereal crop of Pakistan and it is effected by different fungi species. The research was aimed at identifying different rust causing fungal species naturally found on Berberis lyceum Royle (BLR) plants in Murree zone of Pakistan. For the purpose, infected leaves of BLR were collected from Murree and adjacent areas in triplicate. For molecular based analysis, DNA was extracted from single lesion of each sample and used for amplification of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 18S loci. The obtained molecular data was compared through NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) analyses and four taxa viz., Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, P. graminis, P. striiformoides and P. brachypodii were identified occurring on BLR. A parallel ITS and 18S sequence data were generated from urediniospores of P. triticina collected on wheat plants to assess its phylogenetic proximities with BLR infecting Puccinia species. Maximum Likelihood analysis based on ITS/18S sequences inferred a close phylogenetic relationship for P. striiformoides and P. brachypodii and Puccinia graminis and P. graminis f. sp. Tritici, respectively. On the contrary, Puccinia triticina not parasitizing Berberis lyceum as secondary host remained distinct phylogenetically with mentioned Puccinia species. Hence ITS/18S loci reveal a parallel phylogenetic signal for Puccinia species otherwise preferring the same host. The study confirms that Puccinia triticina devastating pathogen for wheat crop in Punjab plains and BLR has pivotal role in completion of life cycle of pathogenic fungi and hence prevalence of this pathogen is causing a irreparable loss to the crop to the farmers of the country. This study will provide mechanism to control and eradicate the pathogen and diseases by controlling the secondary host BLR populations in the vicinity of crops. There is ample space to conduct further research on it to explore the molecular mechanism to control or eradicate the floral menace of wheat.
To Cite this article:
Download
