Research Project: Identifying and Characterizing the Role of Alternate Hosts in Cereal Rust Propagation

Location: Cereal Disease Lab

Project Number: 5062-21220-025-046-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 1, 2026
End Date: Jul 31, 2030

Objective:
Identify and understand the role of alternate hosts in cereal rust propagation and population diversity.

Approach:
1) utilizing existing data to identify possible locations of alternate hosts (e.g., susceptible barberry bushes lead to increased stem rust diversity in nearby fields); 2) survey species and regions for known or new alternate hosts of cereal rusts; 3) sample and characterize the phenotypic and genetic diversity of cereal rusts in those regions, 4) characterize the role of alternate hosts in sexual or asexual propagation of cereal rusts, and 5) evaluate the threat of native and introduced alternate hosts to US agricultural production of cereals.