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Pathogenic divergence of Central European and Australian populations of Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei
Author(s) -
Dreiseitl A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/aab.12141
Subject(s) - biology , blumeria graminis , virulence , powdery mildew , gene , resistance (ecology) , genetics , host (biology) , european union , range (aeronautics) , divergence (linguistics) , botany , plant disease resistance , ecology , linguistics , philosophy , materials science , business , composite material , economic policy
Hosts and pathogens have adapted their response to each other through genetic changes that have arisen during the course of their co‐evolution. In developed countries the longevity of varieties is often short; new varieties frequently possess novel genes with specific resistance to pathogens. The latter must adapt to the resistance genes to maintain pathogenicity. To study this adaptation, 50 Central European and 50 Australian isolates of Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei ( Bgh ) were tested on 50 barley differential varieties with different specific resistance genes. All the Central European isolates differed from each other in their virulence combinations and belonged to 50 various pathotypes, whereas Australian isolates comprised 37 pathotypes. None of the pathotypes detected in Central Europe was identical or similar to any of those in Australia. This can be attributed to the much higher number of virulences in Central European isolates that developed over a long period of contact with a range of host varieties containing specific resistance genes. This has led to a gradual divergence of the Australian and the European Bgh populations. In Europe, unlike Australia, new specific resistance genes are still widely used in breeding barley varieties and the divergence of both populations will continue.