Marker-assisted pyramiding of Thinopyrum-derived leaf rust resistance genes Lr19 and Lr24 in bread wheat variety HD2733.

This study was undertaken to pyramid two effective leaf rust resistance genes (Lr19 and Lr24) derived from Thinopyrum (syn. Agropyron), in the susceptible, but agronomically superior wheat cultivar HD2733 using marker-assisted selection. In the year 2001, HD2733 was released for irrigated timely sown conditions of the north eastern plains zone (NEPZ) of India became susceptible to leaf rust, a major disease of the region. Background selection helped in developing near-isogenic lines (NILs) of HD2733 with Lr19 and Lr24 with 97.27 and 98.94%, respectively, of genomic similarity with the parent cultivar, after two backcrossing and one generation of selfing.NILs were intercrossed to combine the genes Lr19 and Lr24. The combination of these two genes in the cultivar HD2733 is expected to provide durable leaf rust resistance in farmers' fields.