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Sabikei 50 is also a leaf rust resistant wheat parental line developed at the Tohoku National Agricultural Experiment Station (Mukade et al. 1987). It was selected from a triple cross, Sabikei 25/Sabikei 23//Hanagasakomugi. This cross was made in 1976 with the view of accumulating three different leaf rust resistance genes, the first from Sabikei 25 whose complete resistance gene is inherited from RW-12 (see Sabikei 40), the second from Sabikei 23, a line which shows adult plant resistance probably derived from Elytrigia intermedia through WA-3, and the third from Hanagasakomugi, a cultivar which shows slow-rusting resistance probably derived from Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides or T. turgidum ssp. durum through Hope-Timstein 1139-44. However, Sabikei 50 did not inherit the complete resistance gene from Sabikei 25. Sabikei 50 shows susceptible or mixed reaction to the leaf rust races 6A, 37B and 21 B at the seedling stage, while the degree of resistance gradually increases as the plant grows (adult plant resistance). In the field, Sabikei 50 is resistant in the early period of ripening but becomes slightly infected towards maturity. However, the progress of leaf rust lesions is very slow (slow-rusting resistance) and hardly affects the photosynthetic ability of the plant. Sabikei 50 was registered by the MAFF as a wheat parental line no. 3 in 1986 (Table 1).

AS-5 is also a leaf rust resistant wheat parental line developed at the Tohoku National Agricultural Experiment Station (Yamaguchi et al. 1993). AS-5 carries the gene Lr19 conferring resistance to the leaf rust races 6A, 37B and 21 B for all the growing periods of wheat. The gene Lr19 of AS-5 derived from Elytrigia pontica through a chromosome substitution line, Agrus. The endosperm of AS-5 is rich in lutein which is a carotenoid pigment and hence produces a flour with a yellowish color. This character is considered to be controlled by a gene(s) closely linked to Lr19. AS-5 was registered by the MAFF as a wheat parental line no. 6 in 1991 (
Table 1).


3) Breeding for resistance to scab: In the south-western Japan, especially in Kyushu, scab disease caused by Gibberella zeae (Schw.) Petch, Fusarium graminearum Schw., etc. causes considerable damage and has become one of the most important problems in wheat production. No gene for complete resistance or immunity to scab has been identified yet. Extensive efforts to breed more resistant cultivars have been made by the accumulation of polygenes for resistance or by the induction of mutations mainly at the Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station and one parental line has been developed (
Table 1).

Akakabikei 2 (synonym: Akakabi-kei 2), a scab resistant wheat parental line, was developed at the Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station from a cross between Nobeokabozu-komugi (synonym: Nobeokabozu- komugi) and Sobaku 3 (synonym: Sumai 3) (Gocho et al. 1992). Both parents showed a higher resistance to scab than the other wheat varieties. However, Nobeokabozukomugi and Sobaku 3 cannot be commercially used due to their poor agronomic characteristics such as long culm and late maturity. The resistance of these varieties was conferred by polygenes. The cross between Nobeokabozukomugi and Sobaku 3 was made in 1977 with the view of accumulating these polygenes for resistance. No selection was made from F1 to F4 bulk populations and the F5 generation was screened for lodging resistance. The derived lines were screened for scab resistance and other agronomic characters in succeeding generations. One promising line was obtained and named Akakabikei 2 in the F10 generation in 1984. "Akakabikei" means "scab resistant line". It was registered by the MAFF as a wheat parental line no. 4 in 1986 (
Table 1).

The possibility of using Elytrigia and Elymus as sources of resistance to scab is now being investigated at the Kyushu National Agricultural Experiment Station.

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