Puccinia recondita is a fungus species and plant pathogen belonging to the order of Pucciniales and family Pucciniaceae.

Distribution

This fungal species occurs worldwide.

Biology

It is a heteroecious fungus, macrocyclic, and has five distinct life-stages of development: teliospores, basidiospores, and urediniospores on cereal hosts, and pycniospores and aeciospores on the alternative plant hosts.

Host

These fungi are endoparasites plant pathogens mainly infecting species in the families of Balsaminaceae, Boraginaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, Ranunculaceae and Poaceae (especially wheat and rye). Puccinia recondita was also found to cause 'brown rust' in wheat and triticale (hybrid of wheat and rye). Symptoms of infestation are yellowish to brown spots and pustules on the leaf surfaces of the host plants. Brown rust is the most widespread and prevalent disease of wheat in South America, and is the most important wheat disease in Mexico. It was originally found on the leaves of a species of Secale (grass) in France.

Subspecies and forms

In Iceland, Puccinia recondita ssp. borealis infects Agrostis canina, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Calamagrostis stricta, Hierochloe odorata and Thalictrum alpinum.

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