IDENTIFICATION OF RUST (Puccinia helianthi Schw.) RACES IN SUNFLOWER (Helianthus annuus L.) IN TURKEY

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), with its high oil quality, is one of the major and most valuable oilseed crops in the world. Sunflower rust, caused by Puccinia helianthi Schw., is one of the major foliar diseases of sunflower. The pathogen is present wherever sunflower is grown in the world and causes important yield losses when severe epidemics occur. The objective of this study was to identify the races of sunflower rust under field conditions in the first and second crop production seasons. Experiments were conducted from 1991 to 2009 at Menemen, Izmir Turkey. Race identification of P. helianthi was accomplished in field conditions in which seedlings of differential lines were naturally infected. Twenty-three differential genotypes were used to identify races of P. helianthi. Sunflower rust reactions of the differential genotypes were scored on a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 to 2 = resistant, 3 and 4 = susceptible. Races 1 and 3 of P. helianthi, the causal agent of sunflower rust, were identified at Menemen – Izmir.