Helminthosporium leaf blight resistance and agronomic performance of wheat genotypes across warm regions of South Asia

Helminthosporium leaf blight (HLB) is the most important disease constraint to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivation in the eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia. A Helminthosporium Monitoring Nursery (HMN) including potential adapted and exotic sources of HLB resistance was developed in Bangladesh, India and Nepal to assess the stability of genetic resistance across locations. The 8th, 9th and 10th HMN assessed the HLB resistance and agronomic traits of 17 wheat genotypes across 20 environments of Bangladesh, India and Nepal in the 1999-2000, 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 cropping seasons, respectively. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) for HLB, grain yield, thousand-kernel weight (TKW), days to heading, days to maturity, and plant height were examined. The 17 genotypes showed a range of variability for disease and agronomic characters. Disease severity (AUDPC) differed in the 3 years and showed the highest values in 2002. The increase in AUDPC in 2002 caused the lowest grain yield, with an average 18% reduction due to HLB. A few genotypes (SW 89-5422, Yangmai-6 and Ning 8201) appeared to have stable HLB resistance across environments. However, most of the higher-yielding genotypes, except BL 1883, were unstable. The results suggest that careful selection of HLB resistance with acceptable grain yield, TKW and plant height may be possible using the wheat genotypes included in the HMN.