Plant Disease Research

Twelve virulent isolates of Bipolaris sorokiniana collected from Punjab were used to study the level of resistance in commercial cultivars of bread wheat, durum, barley, triticale (PBW 343, PBW 502, HD 2329, WH 542, Sonalika, PDW 291, PDW 274, PDW 233, TL 2908, PL 172, PL 426, PL 419) and rye along with a weed host Phalaris minor by spray inoculations at seedling stage grown under polyhouse conditions. Maximum disease severity (57.48%) was observed on variety ‘Sonalika’. Area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) was also highest (337.28) on this variety followed by the barley variety PL 419 in which the disease severity was 53.45% and AUDPC was 312.33 where as the severity was minimum 25.35% on weed host P. minor where AUDPC was 143.83. Bread wheat variety PBW 343 was moderately resistant to the disease where the disease severity was 34.65% and AUDPC was 199.59. Secale cereale (rye) was also moderately resistant to the disease where disease severity was 34.08% and AUDPC was 196.79. None of the hosts expressed complete resistance to the pathogen although rye, P. minor and bread wheat variety PBW 343 expressed moderate resistance to the pathogen.