Migration of wheat stripe rust from the primary oversummering region to neighboring regions in China

Abstract Changing climate and changes in cropping systems have greatly affected outbreaks of plant diseases. Wheat stripe rust is a disease posing a threat to global wheat production, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). Pst oversummering regions play a crucial role in the emergence of new races in China. To unveil the migration pattern of oversummering to adjacent regions, we develop a set of KASP-SNP marker from 28 Pst whole-genome sequences to investigate the population structure in the oversummering and its adjacent regions. A set of 19 Chinese wheat differentials is used to characterize the virulence patterns of 308 sampled Pst isolates. By integrating virulence characterization, population genetic analysis, air trajectory simulation and field disease monitoring, two main Pst dispersal routes are identified. Inocula from Eastern Qinghai are dispersed to Western and Eastern Liupan Mountain, and reach Guanzhong Plain. The second route originates from Middle Gansu, then through Longnan, and reaches the Guanzhong Plain via Eastern Liupan Mountain. Both dispersal routes result in Pst inoculum spreading to the Huang-Huai-Hai region, the main wheat-growing region in China. The proposed migration routes can be used to develop disease management strategies at a regional and national scale.