A study on the epidemic pattern of rust disease and germplasm resistance evaluation in Zoysia japonica in Beijing

From 2008 to 2009 the authors have investigated the pathogen, the epidemic pattern, and the resistance trait of rust disease in Beijing about 162 Zoysia japonica individual plants which collected from 6 different areas in China. The results of this study showed that: 1) All pathogens of rust disease found in this research were Puccinia zoysiae pathogens, no other species was founded. 2) In 2009, the rust disease occurrence index showed a single peak pattern. The disease started in the early June to the mid July,reached a peak at the mid September to the early October,and ceased at the end of November when frost came. 3) Among all tested individual plants, 3 groups (SD1, SD2, and SD3) were characterized by their rust resistance ability primarily，and 14 resistant plants and 29 susceptible plants were selected. The above results may provide a pathological basis and proper germplasms for further breeding program and genetic research on rust disease resistance in Z. japonica.