A genome-wide association study of resistance to puccinia striiformis f. sp. hordei and P. graminis f. sp. tritici in Barley and development of resistant germplasm

Stripe rust (incited by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. hordei) and stem rust (incited by P. graminis f. sp. tritici) are two of the most important diseases affecting barley. Building on prior work involving the introgression of the resistance genes rpg4/Rpg5 into diverse genetic backgrounds and the discovery of additional quantitative trait locus (QTLs) for stem rust resistance, we generated an array of germplasm in which we mapped resistance to stripe rust and stem rust. Stem rust races TTKSK and QCCJB were used for resistance mapping at the seedling and adult plant stages, respectively. Resistance to stripe rust, at the adult plant stage, was determined by QTLs on chromosomes 1H, 4H, and 5H that were previously reported in the literature. The rpg4/Rpg5 complex was validated as a source of resistance to stem rust at the seedling stage. Some parental germplasm, selected as potentially resistant to stem rust or susceptible but having other positive attributes, showed resistance at the seedling stage, which appears to be allelic to rpg4/Rpg5. The rpg4/Rpg5 complex, and this new allele, were not sufficient for adult plant resistance to stem rust in one environment. A QTL on 5H, distinct from Rpg5 and a previously reported resistance QTL, was required for resistance at the adult plant stage in all environments. This QTL is coincident with the QTL for stripe rust resistance. Germplasm with mapped genes/QTLs conferring resistance to stripe and stem rust was identified and is available as a resource to the research and breeding communities.