Yellow rust disease is the major problem for wheat production in mid and high hills of Nepal. To find the sources of resistance against this disease, four hundred sixty one and four hundred eighty bread wheat genotypes developed by National Wheat Research Program, Bhairahwa and Agriculture Botany Division, Khumaltar were evaluated at Khumaltar under high disease pressure field condition in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Disease evaluation was done at both seedling and adult stage. In 2018, most of the genotypes were resistant to yellow rust disease at seedling stage. Two hundred two genotypes showed Adult Plant Resistance in adult stage. Twenty four entries showed immune response to yellow rust disease while forty six genotypes were found resistant. Similarly in 2019, half of these genotypes were resistant and half were susceptible to yellow rust pathogen at seedling stage. Thirty six genotypes were free from yellow rust pathogen in adult stage. Most of the genotypes were moderately resistant to yellow rust. Two hundred twenty two genotypes showed Adult Plant Resistance against this disease while twenty one genotypes were susceptible in both stages. Some varieties such as WK 1204, Pasang Lhamu, Dhaulagiri and Bandganga, genotypes like BL 4880, BL 4952, NL 1340, NL 1341, NL 1342, NL 1350, NL 1362 and WK 2787 were found resistant in both years against yellow rust. Therefore, these resistant as well as moderately resistant wheat genotypes can be used in national breeding program to develop yellow rust resistant wheat genotypes for hills of Nepal.
Keywords: adult, resistance, seedling, wheat, yellow rust
