UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS)

The UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey (UKCPVS) uses pathogen samples (isolates), taken from diseased cereal leaf samples, to check which varieties they can infect. The tests can help detect new races of wheat and barley pathogens capable of causing disease on previously resistant cereal varieties.

• Monitors changes in pathogen virulence
• Currently focuses on wheat rusts
• Managed by NIAB
• First report published in 1967
• AHDB (HGCA) has part-funded the work since 1992
• Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has co-funded the project since 2006
• Samples provided by agronomists, trials officers and researchers

The latest phase of the UKCPVS gets underway in spring 2025, which puts more emphasis on breeding for durable resistance to wheat yellow rust and brown rust.

To help assess the distribution of rust pathogens and the impact on varietal resistance (in recommended and candidate varieties), the UKCPVS needs samples of diseased leaves from diverse wheat varieties and regions.

How to send in a sample

• Place leaf samples directly in a paper envelope (do not use polythene bags)
• Fill in a copy of the sampling sheet (the more info the better)
• Send the samples to FREEPOST UKCPVS (as soon as possible)

If you would like to get involved, full sampling instructions are available from the NIAB website.

The pathogen that causes yellow rust in winter wheat – Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici – comes in different forms. There are races that only infect particular varieties. To add further complexity, some varieties are susceptible to yellow rust when plants are young but go on to develop some level of resistance after early stem extension (the ‘adult plant’ stage). From spring 2025, UKCPVS will provide more information on the young plant resistance status to wheat yellow rust.

Targeted at breeders, crop scientists and technical agronomists, the annual stakeholder event reports on recent seedling test results and adult plant nursery tests. It also features related technical papers based on pathogen virulence experience from across the globe.

January 2026 venue and date TBC.

Pages include links to presentations and videos.

At the 2024 Agronomy Conference, Huw Davis (NIAB) provided an overview of UKCPVS, including results for wheat rusts (brown and yellow) based on samples taken from the field in 2023, in addition to an update on the findings for 2024, so far.