Identification of three Berberis species as potential alternate hosts for Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in wheat-growing regions of Xinjiang, China

Since the recent discovery of barberry (Berberis spp.) as an alternate host for the stripe rust pathogen Puccinia striiformis, many Chinese Berberis species have been identified as alternate hosts for P. striiformis f. sp. tritici. However, little is known about Berberis species and their distribution in wheat-growing regions in Xinjiang, China, where stripe rust is endemic. As the largest province or autonomous region, Xinjiang represents a relatively independent epidemic region for wheat stripe rust in China. In this study, we conducted a survey of barberry plants in the main wheat-growing areas of Xinjiang. We identified three Berberis species, B. heteropoda, B. nummularia and B. kaschgarica, and confirmed their roles as potential alternate hosts for P. striiformis f. sp. tritici in the laboratory.