Yield Loss Assessment in Bread Wheat Varieties Caused by Yellow Rust ( Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici ) in Arsi Highlands of South Eastern Ethiopia

Wheat yellow rust disease caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici is one of the most feared and wheat production bottlenecks in the highland areas of Ethiopia. Field experiment was conducted to assess wheat yield losses caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici based at optimal frequency of fungicide with wheat varieties for the control of stripe rust at hotspot environments of Meraro and Bekoji, experimental stations in Arsi zone in 2017 main cropping season. Results revealed that there was direct linkage between the disease level and the yield loss in the most common commercially adopted bread wheat varieties. There was varying resistance level among different wheat varieties. The extensively cultivated wheat variety, Wane was found to be most resistant with minimum yield loss of 22.9 to 39.7% followed by Lemu and Danda’a with yield loss of 48.7to 56.5% and43.3 to 57.5% at Bekoji and Meraro respectively. While Kubsa, proved to be the most susceptible wheat variety with maximum yield loss of 91.5 to 96.7% at Bekoji and Meraro respectively. Therefore, it is advisable to use resistant varieties with appropriate fungicides with optimal frequency in order to reduce yield loss and get comparable yield advantage by reducing the incurring of wheat stripe rust in wheat farms.