Molecular and virulence diversity and linkage disequilibria in asexual and sexual populations of the wheat leaf rust fungus, Puccinia recondita

An asexual field population and a sexually derived population of the wheat leaf rust fungus, Puccinia recondita, were examined and compared for diversity and linkage disequilibria between virulence and molecular phenotypes. Isolates in both populations were tested for virulence to 20 Thatcher wheat lines near-isogenic for leaf rust resistance genes, and for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) variation using 10 DNA primers. In the asexual field population, 36 virulence phenotypes and 14 RAPD phenotypes were identified in 43 isolates. In the sexual population, 87 virulence phenotypes and 79 RAPD phenotypes were identified in 104 isolates. Linkage disequilibria was less in the sexual population compared to the asexual field population. Virulence-RAPD phenotype pairs (110 in total) were directly compared between the two populations for association. In the asexual population, 39 virulence-RAPD phenotype pairs were associated (P < 0.05), compared with 18 pairs in the sexual population. Linkage was not evident, as some residual disequilibria remained between virulence and RAPD phenotypes. In the asexual population 18 RAPD phenotype pairs were associated, compared with 9 pairs in the sexual population. The sexual population was also tested for RAPD variation with an additional six primers. In the sexual population, amplification sites of four different primers were tightly linked which indicated a chromosomal segment in P. recondita may not readily undergo recombination. Disequilibria between virulence and RAPD phenotypes in field populations of P. recondita in Canada is maintained by asexual reproduction.