Identification of the Lr34/Yr18 rust resistance gene region in a Hungarian wheat breeding programme

The presence and frequency of the resistance gene complex Lr34/Yr18 was investigated in the wheat breeding programme of the Agricultural Research Institute, Martonvásár, Hungary. A total of 226 wheat cultivars and advanced lines from Hungary and other countries were tested with an STS marker, csLV34 , to understand the distribution of the Lr34/Yr18 resistance gene complex. A 150-bp PCR fragment was amplified in 64 wheat cultivars and lines with the resistance genes Lr34/Yr18 , while a 229-bp fragment was detected in 162 genotypes without Lr34/Yr18 . The genotypes with Lr34/Yr18 accounted for 28.3% of the wheat cultivars and advanced lines tested. Among the 128 varieties and breeding lines of Martonvásár origin tested, 34 carried the Lr34/Yr18 genes, with a frequency of 26.6%. The frequency of these genes was 30.6% in genotypes of other origin. The STS marker csLV34 could be used as an effective tool for the marker-assisted selection of Lr34/Yr18 genes in breeding wheat cultivars with durable rust resistance