Analysis of powdery mildew virulence on wheat in Yugoslavia

Abstract

Powdery mildew induced by the fungus Blumeria graminis tritici is a regular and economically important wheat disease in Yugoslavia. It has spread across all of the regions of growing, significantly reducing wheat yields in our country. A successful wheat breeding for resistance to the causal agent of powdery mildew is based on the identification of virulence and changes in a population of this pathogen. Sexual and asexual populations Blumeria graminis tritici were analysed using wheat samples that contained the fungus, spore trap, and mobile nurseries. The sexual part of the population was studied for five years. Wheat samples containing cleistothecia of the fungus were collected in 198 sites. The 1096 isolates analyzed rendered 700 virulence formulae, which illustrates the high variability of the parasite. Complex genotypes are formed by sexual reproduction. Most of the genotypes possessed 8 to 11 virulent genes.