PJB-2019-261
Differential distribution of leaf rust across major wheat growing regions of Pakistan revealed through a three year surveillance effort
Muhammad Rameez Khan, Muhammad Imtiaz, Iqbal Munir, Izhar Hussain and Sajid Ali
Abstract
Considering the important role of wheat leaf rust disease in reducing wheat yields, the present study was designed to assess the countrywide distribution of wheat leaf rust across Pakistan, based on the surveillance conducted during 2016, 2017 and 2018. A total of 1202 fields were surveyed from 95 districts over the three years. The surveillance revealed that both spatial and temporal variability were present across Pakistan in terms of incidence and severity of leaf rust. The disease was more prevalent in Sindh and Punjab than other parts, with little infestation in the northern cold wheat growing regions. The disease was more prevalent in 2017 than both 2016 and 2018. In the Sindh province, 20% fields surveyed over three years had the severe leaf rust infestation (with >60% severity), while in Punjab the disease was absent in more than 95% fields. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir, the disease was detected in less than 1% of the total surveyed fields. Our results revealed that among the four provinces and the Kashmir state, leaf rust was a major problem in Sindh and Southern Punjab, while over the three years, it was more prevalent in 2017. Among the major cultivated varieties surveyed, severe infestation was observed for wheat varieties Galaxy-2013, Morocco, TD_1, Sehar, Yecora, Aas-11, Inqilab-91, Kiran-95, Shafaq, Sarsabz, TJ-83, Marvi, Sassi and some local lines. The information should be useful for both breeders, farmers and extension workers to devise a better leaf rust management strategy considering the relative regional risk of the disease.
To Cite this article:
Khan, M.R., M. Imtiaz, I. Munir, I. Hussain and S. Ali. 2021. Differential distribution of leaf rust across major wheat growing regions of Pakistan revealed through a three year surveillance effort. Pak. J. Bot., 53(1): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2021-1(21)
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