Reaction of promising irrigated wheat genotypes to Common Bunt Disease Caused by Tilletia laevis

Reactions of 74 promissing genotypes from temperate, cold, northorn warm and humid and Southern warm and dry agro-ecological senes together with a commercial check and a susceptible check were evaluated for their reactions to common bunt in Karaj and Kermanshah, during 2002-2004 growing seasons. Genotypes were evaluated under artificial inoculation using a randomized compelet block desigen with three replications. Mean percentage of infected spikes were analysed and genotypes were classified. Combined analysis of variance on mean percentage of infected spikes showed significant differences between genotypes in different agro ecological zones. Among temperate agro-ecological zone entries, commercial cultivar‘Pishtaz’ and two sister lines of ‘Alvand/MV17’ with 0.3,0.9 and1.1percent infection, respectively, were resistant and Flt/Tajan’with 63.8% was the most susceptible genotypes, Bolani had 48.8% infected spikes. Among cold agro-ecological zone entries‘K2340/Sx//Mt/Gb/3/K340 /Fr/Pi/"S"/Kt54*//Nar"S"/5/1-32-1317//II/Y50E/3/Cno/Jar//On/4/Anza/3/Pi/ Nar/Hys with 0.5% infection was resistant.Commercial cultivar ‘Shahreiar’ with 33.7% infected spikes was susceptible and susceptible check had 63.7% infected spikes. Among nothern warm and humid Agro-ecological zone entries Chum/8/3Hel/3*Cno7g/2*Seri/4/Star with 10.1% infection was moderately susceptible and commercial check ’Tajan’ with 15.8% and susceptible check with 50.3% infected spikes were susceptible. Among Southern warm and dry agroecological zone entries Janz/Attila/4/San/Ald"S"//Avd/3/Kea"S"/Ghk"S" with 4.2% infected spikes was resistant. Commercial cultivar ‘Chamran’ and susceptible check with 17% and 58% infected spikes respectively, were susceptible. Considering that in commercial irrigated wheat cultivars resistant cultivars to common bunt are highly reguested in Iran, the resistant genotypes found in this study are very useful to be grown as cultivars or used as sources of resistance in wheat breeding programs.