Virulence and molecular polymorphisms of the wheat leaf rust fungus Puccinia triticina in Canada

Populations of Puccinia triticina, one of the casual agents of wheat leaf rust disease, in the pacific (British Columbia and Alberta), prairie (Manitoba and Saskatchewan), and eastern regions (Quebec and Ontario) of Canada from 1997 to 2007 were analyzed for virulence and genetic diversity by revealing expressed sequence tag derived simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) polymorphisms. Since 1997, a significant shift in the virulence of P. triticina occurred across Canada. The diversity of P. triticina virulence phenotypes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as measured by Shannon and Simpson indexes, decreased due to the directional selection toward predominant virulence phenotypes, whereas it remained relatively constant in Quebec and Ontario. The clustering of P. triticina virulence phenotypes from 1997 to 2007 was similar to that found in previous years, and was correlated with virulence to leaf rust resistance genes Lr2a, Lr2c, and Lr17a. Distinct EST-SSR profiles were found in different groups of P. triticina virulence phenotypes based on virulence to Lr2a, Lr2c, and Lr17a. In addition, the population of P. triticina in Manitoba and Saskatchewan was different from that in Quebec and Ontario from 1997 to 2007, based on both virulence characteristics and EST-SSR genotypes.