Overview
To mitigate the effects of stripe/yellow rust (WYR) on wheat production in south Asia (SA) and east Asia (EA), The University of Sydney collaborated with key cereal pathology and breeding personnel from EIAR (Ethiopia), IIWBR (India), NARC (Nepal) and PARC (Pakistan).
Scientists from Australia and the partner countries Ethiopia, India, Nepal and Pakistan worked in collaboration and developed rust resistant material and knowledgebase to mitigate the effects of stripe rust on wheat production in SA and EA.
More than 3,000 wheat genotypes from diverse locations and synthetics were assembled and screened for stripe rust resistance at PBI Cobbitty. A “Core Set” comprising of 250 wheat genotypes (50 from each partner country) with Adult Plant Resistance(APR) and of reasonable agronomic performance was selected. Additional sets of resistant 300 older wheat genotypes and 94 non-lodging synthetic wheats with unique pedigrees were also selected.
- Project partners selected rust resistant genotypes from the germplasm.
- Newsletters were written and circulated on project activities and a paper was published in a peer reviewed journal.
Benefits from the project will continue to flow over the coming years, reducing the impact of WYR epidemics and leading to increased productivity and lowering or eliminating the use of fungicides and resulting in safer food and a cleaner environment.
View the project page