Productivity of wheat in Ethiopia in general and Tigray in particular is very low. The low productivity is attributed to a number of factors including biotic (diseases, insects, and weeds), abiotic, and low adoption of new agricultural technologies. Among these factors, wheat stem rust, also known as black rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici has been the most devastating disease of all wheat rusts in Ethiopia causing up to complete annihilation of wheat crops over wide areas during epidemic years. The high virulence diversity and evolution rate of the pathogen makes a considerable proportion wheat germplasm at risk . According to , the highland of Ethiopia is considered as a hot spot for the development of stem rust diversity. In addition, the wheat based mono-cropping system and the continuous release and extensive cultivation of CIMMYT originated bread wheat genotypes with similar genetic background (commonality in parentage) which could serve as the breeding ground/reemergence for new physiological races of stem rust that can attack previously resistant cultivars.
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Citation: Abebe T, Woldeab G, Dawit W (2012) Distribution and Physiologic Races of Wheat Stem Rust in Tigray, Ethiopia. J Plant Pathol Microb 3:142.
Last date updated on March, 2024