YR15 Virulence in Yellow Rust Confirmed in Continental Europe

June 17, 2025
IPMorama
Confirmed-YR15-virulence-reaches-continental-Europe

A critical update for breeders, farmers, and plant health experts across the value chain

The Global Rust Reference Center (GRRC) has confirmed the presence of YR15 virulence in yellow rust in continental Europe. This discovery marks a significant development in the ongoing battle against wheat rust diseases and will have far-reaching consequences for breeding programmes, variety selection, and disease monitoring in the upcoming seasons.

Why does this matter?

As noted by leading researchers, the spread of YR15 virulence threatens one of the most widely used resistance genes in European wheat varieties. This will influence the decisions made by breeders, farmers, extension services, and seed companies alike. Choosing the right varieties and knowing which ones are at risk has never been more important.

A coordinated European response

Through the VCUS network and IPMorama’s collaborative framework, partners are stepping up efforts to monitor the situation. Visual scoring from sentinel plots, combined with the collection and analysis of yellow rust (YR) and leaf rust (LR) samples, will provide key data for tracking the virulence across regions. Samples should be sent to GRRC (for YR) and INRAe (for LR), with the option of involving other national labs.

Use the Wheat Rust Survey App to help monitor the spread

We encourage all stakeholders to document their observations using the Wheat Rust Survey Crowdsource App. Uploading photos and scoring data will enrich the shared dataset and support early warning systems and timely responses.

Yr15

Read the full GRRC news here