Jens Grønbech Hansen

Barberry (Berberis spp.) may serve as alternate host of several Puccinia species including Puccinia graminis and P. striiformis causing stem and yellow rust on cereals and grasses, respectively. In order to study the importance of barberry in the epidemiology of Puccinia species in the CWANA region a rust survey was initiated. The aim was to 1) develop a surveillance protocol 2) develop molecular diagnostic tools for identifying Puccinia spp. from aecial samples, and 3) develop a data management and display system of results as part of the Wheat Rust ToolBox (http://wheatrust.org/international-services/service/). Rust infected leaves representing 120 barberry plants were collected in 2011 in Tajikistan and in 2012 in Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Georgia. Dried leaf samples were received at Global Rust Reference Center and DNA was extracted from up to six individual aecial clusters from each barberry plant. Due to variable quality of aecial samples DNA extraction was not successful for 40% of the samples. Sequences of EF1α, β-tubulin or ITS were analysed and compared to reference sequences of rust fungi infecting cereals and grasses. The analysis supported the presence of P. graminis s.l., P. arrhenatheri and P. striiformoides on barberry species. Survey and DNA sample maps with species designation were displayed in the Wheat Rust ToolBox. The future aim is to integrate barberry rust survey data based on molecular diagnostics and infection assays from research groups world-wide in order to gain insights into the role of barberry in the epidemiology of Puccinia spp. infecting cereals and grasses.