Identification of a leaf rust resistance gene in the Chinese wheat line LB0288

Leaf rust (LR), caused by Puccinia triticina (Pt), is worldwide one of the most spread diseases in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). With the objective of identifying and mapping new genes for resistance to leaf rust, F1 and F2 plants from a cross between the resistant cultivar LB0288 and the susceptible cultivar Thatcher were inoculated with the Chinese P. triticina pathotype THTT in the greenhouse. A set of 1273 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs were used to test the parents and the resistant and susceptible bulks. The results indicated, that LB0288 carried a single dominant resistance gene LrLB88, closely linked to the CAPS marker of Lr1 (WR003) and the SSR marker Xbarc144, with genetic distances of 0 cM and 5.3 cM, respectively. Based on the chromosomal location and seedling reactions, it can be concluded that LrLB88 might be a new leaf rust resistance gene. These markers can be useful for marker assisted selection in breeding of leaf rust resistant wheat cultivars.