INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS - India Environment Portal

Section XIV : Plant Sciences 35
species have also been collected from submerged gymnospermous leaf litter
hitherto less known. 27 species of these fungi were also recovered as root
endophytes. Altogether 36 species were recovered new to Indian mycoflora while
4 species were found new to science.
31. Harnessing Diversity of Wheat in Containing Rusts in India
S. C. Bhardwaj and M. Prashar
Regional Station,
Directorate of Wheat Research,
Flowerdale, Shimla 171002 H.P
Keywords : Wheat, rust, Pathotypes, Epiphytotics
Wheat is the second most important cereal of India and is cultivated in
around 27 million hectares. India with a production of about 81 million tonnes is
the second largest producer of wheat in world following China. Among the biotic
constraints in wheat production, rusts are the most important world over. The
problem becomes all the more grim with their capability to spread aerially across
the continents, frequent evolution of new variants rendering resistant varieties
susceptible.
Flowerdale Station of Directorate of Wheat Research is engaged in wheat
rust management strategies since 1930. It has given the backbone support to
contain the wheat rusts in India. New pathotypes are identified in initial stages,
pathotype distribution is made known, advance varietal accessions are evaluated
and rust resistance genes are characterized. Based on the distribution of rusts/
pathotypes, deployment of rust resistant varieties is practiced for different
ecological zones. To increase diversity durum, dicoccum and bread wheat
varieties are deployed. Varieties with slow rusting traits and adult plant rust
resistance have found place in cultivation. India is successful in containing the
wheat rusts through deployment of diverse rust resistance for the last thirty seven
years even when many countries in the world experienced epiphytotics. Diversity
is the key word of this success.