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Susceptibility of the amphiploids and their F1 hybrids with CS (PhI) under the field conditions as well as to individual pathotypes of leaf rusts at seedling stage, clearly indicated suppression of resistance gene(s) of Aegilops caudata also by gene(s) of A and/or B genomes of durum wheat. Suppression of rust resistance genes by the A or B genome of wheat has already been reported (Kerber 1983; Ma et al. 1997). Innes and Kerber (1994) reported suppression of resistance to leaf rust in amphiploid of susceptible durum wheat and resistant Ae. squarrosa.

Recovery of resistant plants in the F2 and subsequent backcross generations (BC1 and BC2) of crosses of amphiploids involving Ae. caudata with CS, due to segregation of the resistance gene(s) from the suppression gene(s) of durum wheat suggests the absence of suppression gene(s) in CS. Furthermore, it also indicates the absence of suppressor genes in the D genome of CS for resistance gene(s) of Ae. caudata.

T. durum
cv. WH 890 was also susceptible to both the rusts under field conditions and to most of the pathotypes of leaf rust and pathotype P of stripe rust (Table 2). However, in contrast to the previous amphiploids involving Ae. umbellulata and Ae. caudata , the resistance gene(s) of Ae. umbellulata Acc. 3732 was expressed in the amphiploid T. durum cv. WH 890-Ae. umbellulata Acc. 3732 under field conditions whereas at the seedling stage the amphiploid was susceptible to all the individual pathotypes of leaf rust, except race 77-3. Ae. umbellulata Acc. 3732 was resistant to all the races of leaf rust (Table 2), however, the amphiploid was resistant only to race 77-3 suggesting that Ae. umbellulata accession carried at least two different genes. One of the genes effective at seedling stage against race 77-3 was probably also expressed in the adult plants, the other gene(s) which were suppressed at the seedling stage may or may not have expressed at the adult plant stage. Recovery of plants in segregating generations of crosses of amphiploids with CS that were resistant to races to which durum wheat, amphiploid, and hexaploid wheat were susceptible (Table 2) further confirms the suppression of some of the resistance gene(s) of Ae. umbellulata by the A and/ or B genomes of T. durum parents and that the Chinese Spring did not carry any suppressor system for resistance gene(s) of Ae. umbellulata.

In conclusion, the study unequivocally demonstrated the suppression of leaf and stripe rust resistance of the C and U genomes of Aegilops species by the A and/or B genomes of the T. durum parents in the synthetic amphiploids. The study further showed that the suppression system of T. durum suppressing the expression of resistance genes from Aegilops species had selective specificity as it suppressed only some of the resistance gene(s) and not the other. The impediment of suppression of resistance to interspecific gene introgression can, however, be overcome by selecting the recipient wheat stocks lacking the suppression system.


Acknowledgments

The first author is grateful to the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREE0), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Islamic Republic of Iran for grant of scholarship to study in India. Financial support made by the United States Department of Agriculture under U.S.- India Fund is acknowledged.

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