Inheritance of resistance of wheat to eyespot at the adult stage

Moderate resistance to eyespot was first incorporated in the variety Cappelle‐Desprez (CD). Later the gene Pch1, which could confer a higher level of resistance, was introduced from Aegilops ventricosa. However Pch1‐carrying varieties can sustain significant eyespot‐induced yield losses in severe attack situations. A strategy to further enhance the resistance of wheat is by pyramiding Pch1 and the genes for resistance in CD. The first requirement to achieve this is a better understanding of the genetics of resistance in CD. The resistance of the 21 Cappelle‐Desprez (Bezostaya) disomic substitution lines was evaluated. Chromosome 7A was confirmed as carrying a major gene for resistance to eyespot at the seedling stage. However, this study demonstrates that this chromosome has no effects at the adult stage. Chromosome 5A was shown to carry a major gene for resistance to eyespot at the adult stage, which was stably expressed each year of testing. Chromosomes 1A and 2B had significant effects for only two years among four.