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Conference abstract2009Peer reviewed

Population structure of Puccinia graminis f.sp. avenae in Sweden

Berlin, Anna; Szabo, Les; Stoxen, Sam; Djurle, Annika; Samils, Berit; Yuen, Jonathan

Abstract

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis, is a serious disease of cereal crops and in the past this pathogen has caused severe epidemics worldwide. Incidence of oat stem rust in Sweden has increased recently. One possible explanation could be an increase in the occurrence of barberry (Berberis spp.), on which P. graminis sexual cycle can be completed, due to the repeal of the barberry eradication law in 1994. The epidemiology of P. graminis is not well known in Sweden. In this project, the population biology and epidemiology of P. graminis f. sp. avenae are investigated. Multiple samples of P. graminis f. sp. avenae were collected from 33 different oat fields during the summer of 2008. Single pustule isolates were obtained from the field collections and increased in a greenhouse. DNA from these isolates was extracted from urediniospores and infected leaf tissue and was used to screen Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers developed for P. graminis f.sp. tritici. Some of the markers successfully produced amplicons indicating that they will be useful for genotyping isolates of P. graminis f. sp. avenae. Allele sizes for P. graminis f. sp. avenae were different than those from a U.S. reference isolate of P. graminis f.sp. tritici. A selected set of North American isolates of P. graminis f.sp. avenae are also included in the study. The results from this study will indicate if the oat stem rust pathogen in Sweden is a sexual population and the role of barberry in the epidemiology of P. graminis f. sp. avenae

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Conference

12th International Cereal Rusts Powdery Mildews Conference