Evaluation of wheat cultivars for ability to retard development of stem rust

The ability of wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum) to retard the development of stem rust, Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici, was evaluated in hill plots for 3 yr at several locations in Minnesota, against single races and mixtures of races. The area under the disease progress curve was a convenient and reliable method for data summation, but the rate of disease development was not. When inoculated with single races (15B2, 32, 113 or 31) or with mixtures of races (11, 15, 15B2, 17, 32, 151), the cvs Exchange, Thatcher, McMurachy, Redman, Kenya 58, Frontana and Idaed retarded stem rust development more than Baart, Prelude and Marquis; Lee was intermediate. The methods and techniques reported should permit selection of cultivars capable of retarding the development of stem rust.