Genes for resistance to stripe rust on chromosome 2B and their application in wheat breeding

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is one of the most damaging diseases of wheat worldwide. Growing resistant cultivars is the most economic and environmental friendly way to control the disease. There are many resistance genes to stripe rust located on wheat chromosome 2B. Here, we propose a strategy to construct the recombinant wheat chromosome 2B with multiple resistances to stripe rust by making crosses between wheat lines or cultivars carrying Yr genes and using marker-assisted selection, based on the reported information about resistance spectrum, chromosomal location, and linked markers of the genes. Pyramiding the resistance genes on 2B would afford a valuable strategy to control the disease by cultivating varieties with durable resistance. The possibility, efficiency, and prospect of the suggested strategy are reviewed in the paper. (C) 2008 National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science in China Press. All rights reserved.