TITLE:
Status and strategies in breeding for rust resistance in wheat
AUTHORS:
Mudasir Hafiz Khan, Asifa Bukhari, Zahoor Ahmad Dar, Syed Mudasir Rizvi
KEYWORDS:
Leaf Rust; Strip Rust; Stem Rust; Resistance; Wheat
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.4 No.6,
June
27,
2013
ABSTRACT: Wheat along with rice
and maize is fulfilling half of the calories demands of the world. Global Wheat
production has increased tremendously since green revolution in 1960’s and
helped in minimizing hunger and malnutrition. Developing countries, which
consume 60% of the global wheat production, have shown a higher yield increase
than the developed countries in the past [1]. It was driven by the hunger prevalence
in these countries and was attributable to the introduction of high yielding
and rusted resistant semi dwarf varieties developed under the collaborative
efforts of International and National research systems during the last 50
years. Whereas, climate change and the emergence of new pests and diseases are
threatening the food sustainability. The evolution of new races of disease pathogens
like stem rust (Ug 99) is of serious concern. In order to feed the ever increasing
population we have to increase wheat production at the rate 1.6% which can be
achieved by developing high yielding varieties having a good tolerance level
for biotic and abiotic stresses.