Stripe rust, a fungal disease caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is one of the most destructive diseases affecting wheat production areas worldwide. In recent years in China, wheat stripe rust has caused huge yield losses throughout the vast Huang-Huai-Hai region, including the eastern coast regions, especially Shandong province. The aim of the present study was to explore the population structure and potential inoculum sources of the pathogen in this region. A total of 234 Pst isolates in 2021 were collected and isolated from seven provinces and identified for virulence phenotypes using 19 Chinese differentials and for genotypes using 17 single-nucleotide polymorphism-based Kompetitive allele-specific PCR markers. The virulence phenotype tests identified predominant races CYR34 (18.0%) and CYR32 (16.0%) in Shandong, which were similar to the results in Henan province, also with the predominant races CYR34 (21.9%) and CYR32 (18.8%). Based on the virulence data of phenotyping, the Pst populations in Shandong, Hubei, and Henan were similar. The genotypic analysis revealed remarkable gene flows among the Shandong, Hubei, Henan, Yunnan, and Guizhou populations, showing a migration of Pst from the southwestern oversummering regions to Shandong through the winter spore production regions. Genetic structure analysis also indicated an additional migration route from the northwestern oversummering regions through winter spore production regions to Shandong. The results are useful for understanding stripe rust epidemiology in the eastern coast region and improving control of the disease throughout the country.
Keywords: Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici; gene flow; genotype; virulence; wheat stripe rust.