Genetic analysis of resistance to Karnal bunt (Tilletia indica,Mitra) in bread wheat

Summary Karnal bunt caused by Tilletia indica in wheat seriously affects the quality of the grains. It is important to generate information on the genetics of resistance to this pathogen so as to aid resistance breeding. For this purpose, four Karnal bunt-resistant lines from China, Brazil and CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) and a susceptible Indian cultivar, WL711, were used. The parents, F1 and F3 progenies of five parental diallel crosses revealed that independently segregating loci with three partial dominant resistance alleles were involved in the resistance of Karnal bunt. Lines RC7201/2^*BR2 and Roek//Maya/NAC carried one locus for resistance while Shanghai#7 and Aldan/IAS58 have two and three loci, respectively. One common locus was present in all four resistant parents, which imparted a high level of resistance.