Characterisation of modern Russian spring soft wheat varieties for resistance to yellow rust

The study was conducted to study the genetic diversity of released varieties of spring soft wheat for resistance to yellow rust to assess their potential in genetic protection against Puccinia striiformis West. The material consisted 86 varieties included for the first time in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation in 2019–2023. Four populations of P. striiformis were used to evaluate seedling resistance. They differed among themselves by geographical origin (Leningrad, Dagestan, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk) and by virulence to differentiators with genes Yr1, Yr2, Yr4, Yr7, Yr27, Yr32, YrSD and YrN D. Only six cultivars Odeta, KVS Jetstream, Nadira, Pequeso, Sviyaga, Hazineh (7 %) showed resistance response to all populations. Molecular markers were used to postulate ten Yr genes Yr5, Yr7, Yr9, Yr10, Yr15, Yr17, Yr18, Yr24, Yr40 and Yr60 and wheat-rye translocation 1AL.1RS with unknown Yr-gene. Isogenic Avocet lines and varieties with identifiable genes were used as positive controls. No highly efficient genes Yr5, Yr10, Yr15, Yr24 and Yr40 and genes Yr7 and Yr60 with varying efficiency were found in the studied varieties. Genes Yr9, Yr17, Yr18 had high representation in the studied and moderate the wheat-rye translocation 1AL.1RS with unidentified Yr gene. The analysis indicates low genetic diversity of Russian spring wheat varieties in terms of resistance to yellow rust and the need for advanced breeding for resistance to P. striiformis.