Wheat Leaf Rust Disease Management: A Review

Leaf rust is one of the three wheat rusts and is economically important disease of wheat worldwide. It is a devastating disease that can cause significant yield losses especially in wheat growing regions of the world where environmental conditions are conducive. In Ethiopia, wheat leaf rust is one of the most important diseases in most wheat growing areas of the country where the yield loss due to its impact is reaching up to 75% in susceptible wheat varieties at hot spot areas. This review discusses recent information on economic importance, epidemiology, geographic distribution, life cycle, host range of wheat leaf rust disease as well as its management methods such as cultural, chemical, biological and use of host resistance cultivars. Under the use of host resistance method, information on the types of resistance and sources of resistance has been presented.