Assessment of Registered Durum Wheat (Triticum durum) Cultivars for Resistance to Yellow Rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) Disease

Yellow rust disease caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is the most destructive disease of wheat and the most effective control method against the disease is the use of resistant plants. For this reason, the cultivars commonly grown should be tested against the current disease population or Pst race/races of high virulence. In this study, the infection of yellow rust on 54 durum wheat cultivars registered in Türkiye was evaluated under natural conditions. This study was carried out with two replicates on the campus of Akdeniz University during the 2017-2018 years. For the disease assessment, the modified Cobb scale was used and the infection of the coefficient was calculated according to the disease reaction determined. Based on the results of this study, it was found that most of the varieties were moderately susceptible and susceptible to the natural yellow rust infection in both years. Additionally, Kızıltan 91, Altın 40/98, Yılmaz 98, İmren, Çeşit 1252, and Kunduru 1149 varieties were resistant to the current disease population under field conditions. In further studies, it is necessary to determine the resistance gene or genes found in these cultivars by molecular methods. Additionally, it is important that new varieties developed in breeding programs were analyzed for Pst races identified in our country for the control of the disease.