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August 30th, 2018 / ISAAA

An international team of researchers from the University of Sydney, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), John Innes Centre, Limagrain UK, and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) has isolated the first major resistance genes against stripe rust, a disease devastating wheat crops worldwide.

The scientists cloned three related rust resistance genes called Yr7, Yr5, and YrSP and now have a thorough understanding of the gene structure and the relationships between the three. They said this research was a major contribution to the understanding of the immune receptor protein class of resistance genes in wheat. Despite very similar gene structure, each gene confers a distinct and unique recognition specificity to the stripe rust pathogen.

The characterization of these genes was made possible through improved technology and the collaboration from Australia and UK. Read more