Long‐term surveillance reveals hybridization by nuclear reassortment and intercontinental spread as major evolutionary drivers in wheat yellow rust
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Agroecology, Global Rust Reference Center, Aarhus University, Slagelse, Denmark;
- 2Crop Science, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, University of Bonn, Germany,
- 3CIMMYT Nepal, Khumaltar, Lalipur, Nepal;
- 4Turkey-ICARDA Regional Cereal Rust Research Center, Izmir, Turkey;
- 5Plant Breeding Institute, School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Australia;
- 6Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia,
- 7Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Colonia, Uruguay
Abstract
Evolutionary forces affecting crop pathogens, including hybridization and long-distance dispersal (LDD), may have strong implications for food security and sustainable plant disease control at global scales. However, consolidated evidence is often lacking due to the absence of consistent pathogen surveys beyond national capacities. Our study documents world-wide connectivity between populations of Puccinia striiformis, causing yellow rust on cereals and grasses, when analyzing 3240 pathogen samples collected in 41 countries on six continents from 2009 to 2023. Our analyses revealed 10 cases of intercontinental spread of Puccinia striiformis, including seven cases with major impact on disease epidemics in recipient areas. Somatic hybridization by nuclear reassortment between co-existing multilocus genotypes (MLGs) on a common host was the most plausible mechanism for the emergence of three novel clonal groups that were first detected in Europe. Subsequently, onward spread to South America and Australia was observed. Several high-impact incursions from South Asia into East Africa were also detected, including a genotype with a dramatic impact on wheat breeding programs of global relevance. Our study stresses an urgent need for coordinated crop pathogen monitoring across borders. Only global efforts will enable prevention and control of airborne pathogens that represent major challenges for food security at regional and global scales.
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BibTeX
@article{hovmoller2026longterm,
title = {{Long‐term surveillance reveals hybridization by nuclear reassortment and intercontinental spread as major evolutionary drivers in wheat yellow rust}},
author = {Mogens Støvring Hovmøller and Tine Thach and Julián Rodríguez-Algaba and Jens Grønbech Hansen and Marcel Meyer and David Hodson and K. Nazari and Robert Park and Rita Tam and Mareike Möller and Benjamin Schwessinger and John Paul Rathjen and Paula Silva and Venancio Riella and Annemarie Fejer Justesen},
journal = {New Phytologist},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1111/nph.71300},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71300},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Long‐term surveillance reveals hybridization by nuclear reassortment and intercontinental spread as major evolutionary drivers in wheat yellow rust
AU - Mogens Støvring Hovmøller
AU - Tine Thach
AU - Julián Rodríguez-Algaba
AU - Jens Grønbech Hansen
AU - Marcel Meyer
AU - David Hodson
AU - K. Nazari
AU - Robert Park
AU - Rita Tam
AU - Mareike Möller
AU - Benjamin Schwessinger
AU - John Paul Rathjen
AU - Paula Silva
AU - Venancio Riella
AU - Annemarie Fejer Justesen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/14
JO - New Phytologist
DO - 10.1111/nph.71300
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71300
AB - Evolutionary forces affecting crop pathogens, including hybridization and long-distance dispersal (LDD), may have strong implications for food security and sustainable plant disease control at global scales. However, consolidated evidence is often lacking due to the absence of consistent pathogen surveys beyond national capacities. Our study documents world-wide connectivity between populations of Puccinia striiformis, causing yellow rust on cereals and grasses, when analyzing 3240 pathogen samples collected in 41 countries on six continents from 2009 to 2023. Our analyses revealed 10 cases of intercontinental spread of Puccinia striiformis, including seven cases with major impact on disease epidemics in recipient areas. Somatic hybridization by nuclear reassortment between co-existing multilocus genotypes (MLGs) on a common host was the most plausible mechanism for the emergence of three novel clonal groups that were first detected in Europe. Subsequently, onward spread to South America and Australia was observed. Several high-impact incursions from South Asia into East Africa were also detected, including a genotype with a dramatic impact on wheat breeding programs of global relevance. Our study stresses an urgent need for coordinated crop pathogen monitoring across borders. Only global efforts will enable prevention and control of airborne pathogens that represent major challenges for food security at regional and global scales.
SN - 0028-646X
SN - 1469-8137
ER -