Resistance to rust disease in wheat

Abstract

The present invention provides wheat cultivars that are resistant to leaf rust and/or stripe rust disease caused by strains of the fungus Puccinia and to means and methods for producing same. Particularly, the present invention provides wheat cultivars comprising a chromosome segment of Ae. sharnensis, the chromosome segment confers, enhances, or otherwise facilitates resistance of the wheat plants to leaf rust and/or stripe rust disease.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wheat cultivar suitable for commercial growth comprising a genetic element comprising a segment of  Aegilops sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh , wherein the segment confers or enhances resistance of the wheat cultivar to a disease selected from the group consisting of leaf rust, stripe rust or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         2 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 1 , wherein the segment is associated with at least one marker located on  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  between the short arm telomere (distance 0) and 120 cM. 
     
     
         3 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 2 , wherein the segment is associated with at least one marker located at a position on  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  selected from the group consisting of between position 0 and 16.4 cM and between 30 and 71 cM. 
     
     
         4 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 2 , wherein the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  confers resistance to leaf rust disease and the marker is selected from the group consisting of aePt947170 (mapped on 38.5 cM), aePt948067 (mapped on 38.9 cM), Pt0910 (mapped on 41.5 cM) and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 2 , wherein the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  confers resistance to stripe rust disease and the marker is selected from the group consisting of aePt947170 (mapped on 38.5 cM), tPt0910 (mapped on 41.5 cM) aePt948252 (mapped on 62.1 cM), aePt948565 and aePt947177 (mapped on 66.5 cM), aePt949079 (mapped on 86.8 cM) and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 2 , wherein the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  confers resistance to leaf rust disease and stripe rust disease and the marker is selected from the group consisting of aePt947170 (mapped on 38.5 cM), tPt0910 (mapped on 41.5 cM) and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 1 , wherein the genetic element comprising the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  is located within the central part of chromosome 6B of said wheat cultivar. 
     
     
         8 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 7 , said cultivar is selected from an inbred plant homozygous for the chromosome 6B comprising the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  and a hybrid heterozygous plant comprising the native wheat chromosome 6B and chromosome 6B comprising the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh . 
     
     
         9 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 1 , said cultivar is resistant to leaf rust disease and stripe rust disease. 
     
     
         10 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 1 , said cultivar is devoid of at least one of ph1 mutant alleles and  Ae. Sharonensis  gametocidal Gc2 gene and/or a mutant thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The wheat cultivar of  claim 1 , wherein the leaf rust disease is caused by the fungus  Puccinia triticina  and wherein the stripe rust disease is caused by the fungus  Puccinia striiformis.    
     
     
         12 . A seed of the wheat cultivar of  claim 1 , wherein a plant grown from the seed comprises a genetic element comprising a segment of  Aegilops sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh , the chromosome segment conferring or enhancing resistance of the grown wheat plant to a disease selected from the group consisting of leaf rust, stripe rust and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . A cell or a tissue culture obtained from the plant of  claim 1 , wherein a plant developed from the cell or tissue comprises a genetic element comprising a segment of  Aegilops sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh , the chromosome segment confers or enhances resistance of the developed wheat plant to a disease selected from the group consisting of leaf rust, stripe rust or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . An isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence conferring resistance to at least one of leaf rust disease, stripe rust disease or a combination thereof, wherein the nucleic acid sequence is derived from a segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh . 
     
     
         15 . The isolated polynucleotide of  claim 14 , said polynucleotide comprises a nucleic acid sequence conferring resistance to leaf rust disease comprising a sequence of at least one marker selected from the group consisting of aePt947170, aePt948067 and tPt0910. 
     
     
         16 . The isolated polynucleotide of  claim 14 , said polynucleotide comprises a nucleic acid sequence conferring resistance to stripe rust disease comprising a sequence of at least one marker selected from the group consisting of aePt947170, tPt0910, aePt948252, aePt948565, aePt947177 and aePt949079. 
     
     
         17 . The isolated polynucleotide of  claim 14 , said polynucleotide comprises a nucleic acid sequence conferring resistance to the leaf rust disease and stripe rust disease comprising a sequence of the markers aePt947170 and tPt0910. 
     
     
         18 . A method for producing a wheat cultivar resistant to at least one rust disease, the method comprises introducing into a wheat cultivar susceptible to the disease a genetic element comprising a segment of  Aegilops sharonensis  chromosome 6S, wherein the segment comprises at least one locus conferring resistance to at least one of leaf rust disease, stripe rust disease or a combination thereof thereby producing a wheat cultivar resistant to said at least one rust disease. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the segment is associated with at least one marker located on  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  between the short arm telomere (distance 0) and 120 cM. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the segment is associated with at least one marker located at a position on  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  selected from the group consisting of between position 0 and 16.4 cM and between 30 and 71 cM. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  confers resistance to leaf rust disease and the marker is selected from the group consisting of aePt947170 (mapped on 38.5 cM), aePt948067 (mapped on 38.9 cM), Pt0910 (mapped on 41.5 cM) and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  confers resistance to stripe rust disease and the marker is selected from the group consisting of aePt947170 (mapped on 38.5 cM), tPt0910 (mapped on 41.5 cM) aePt948252 (mapped on 62.1 cM), aePt948565 and aePt947177 (mapped on 66.5 cM), aePt949079 (mapped on 86.8 cM) and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  confers resistance to leaf rust disease and stripe rust disease and the marker is selected from the group consisting of aePt947170 (mapped on 38.5 cM), tPt0910 (mapped on 41.5 cM) and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the genetic element comprising the segment of  Ae. sharonensis  chromosome 6S sh  is introduced into the central part of chromosome 6B of the wheat cultivar. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the produced wheat cultivar is resistant to leaf rust disease and stripe rust disease. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the leaf rust disease is caused by the fungus  Puccinia triticina  and wherein the stripe rust disease is caused by the fungus  Puccinia stiriformis.    
     
     
         27 . A method for producing a wheat cultivar resistant to at least one disease caused by the fungus  Puccinia , the method comprises introducing into a wheat cultivar susceptible to the disease a genetic element comprising a segment of chromosome 6S sh  of  Aegilops sharonensis , wherein the segment comprises at least one locus conferring resistance to the at least one fungal disease, thereby producing a wheat cultivar resistant to said at least one disease.