Correlation of ecological factors and allozymic variations with resistance to Erysiphe graminis hordei in Hordeum spontaneum in Israel: Patterns and application

The association of ecological factors and allozymic markers of wild barley, Hordeum spontaneum, with genotypes varying in resistance to 3 cultures of the pathogen Erysiphe graminis hordei, which incites the disease powdery mildew of barley, were explored theoretically and practically. The study involved 275 accessions comprising 16 populations largely representing the ecological range of H. spontaneum in Israel. From earlier studies of allozymic variation and disease resistance it now becomes apparent that genetic polymorphisms for resistance to E. graminis hordei are structured geographically, and are predictable by climatic as well as allozymic variables. Three-variable combinations of temperature and water factors explain significantly 0.32 of the spatial variance in disease resistance between localities. Also, several allozyme genotypes, singly or in combination, are significantly associated with disease resistance. A high correlation was found between the standard deviation of infection types of the culture of the pathogen from Israel, and allozymic polymorphism, P (r_s = 0.86, p < 0.001). Consequently, the Israel H. spontaneum populations, growing in the center of diversity of the species, contain large amounts of unexploited disease resistance polymorphism. These could be effectively screened and utilized for producing resistant barley varieties by using ecological factors and allozymic variants as guidelines.