Abstract
Wheat crops are infected by many diseases that vary in severity and incidence according to prevalent climate conditions in cultivation areas. Common bunt (CB) caused by Tilletia tritici and T.leavis, remains a serious and dangerous wheat disease in Syria. It affects most types of durum and bread wheat cultivated in the world, causing losses in grain yield. Given the importance of this strategic crop and the relative lack of studies on this disease in Syria, and genetic resistance, this study aimed to: Evaluate and select durum and bread wheat accessions for resistance to common bunt.Seed of 104 durum and 102 bread wheat genotypes were screened in 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons, under artificial inoculation using a mixture of teliospores of both T. tritici and T.leavis under field conditions. Significant variations in reaction types were found in infected plants. In the first season, 12 durum and 4 bread wheat genotypes showed resistant reaction (R) to the disease, and 23 durum and 4 bread genotypes reacted moderately resistant (MR). Only 8 tested durum genotypes were resistant in the second season, meanwhile 24 tested durum and 10 bread wheat genotypes proved moderately resistant (MR). The resistant genotypes could be used in breeding programs for increasing resistance of high yielding wheat cultivars.
