Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2019) 8(9): 690-692 690 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2019.809.082 Inheritance of Gene Conferring Resistance to Rust (Melampsora lini) Disease of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) in North West Himalayas Ritika Singh 1 *, Satish Paul 1 , Sandeep Kumar 2 and Ashok Kumar 3 1 Department of Crop Improvement, CSKHPKV, Palampur-176062, India 2 Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture, CSKHPKV, Palampur-176062, India 3 Shivalik Agricultural Research and Extension Centre, Kangra-176001, H.P., India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) belongs to the genus Linum is one of the earliest crop cultivated for its seeds and fibre. Almost every part of the linseed plant is utilized commercially either directly or after processing. Being an important oilseed crop, its average productivity in India is very low, because of various factors viz., narrow genetic base, non-availability of high yielding varieties and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, etc. Rust, wilt, alternaria blight and powdery mildew are major diseases associated with it. Out of these diseases, rust is the most serious disease of linseed. Melamspora lini the fungal pathogen responsible for rust disease on flax is of interest for both economic and scientific reasons. It can cause severe losses in seed yield as well as reducing fibre quality in flax plants grown for linen production; From the scientific view point, M. lini came to prominence in 1942 when Harold Flor reported the results of an inheritance study which demonstrated that single allelic gene pairs determine the avirulence/virulence phenotype on host lines with particular resistance genes, which led him to propose his now famous „gene-for-gene‟ hypothesis. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 09 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The genetics of resistance against rust disease caused by Melamspora lini in linseed or flax was studied in F 1 , F 2 , BC 1 and BC 2 generations of a susceptible variety T-397, crossed with a resistant variety Surbhi. On the basis of the segregating ratio obtained in F 2 and backcross generations of the cross, T-397 × Surbhi i.e., (3:1) in F 2 and (1:1) in BC 1 revealed that single dominant gene is responsible for resistance against rust in these linseed genotypes under study. Keywords Linseed, Rust, Inheritance, Resistance Accepted: 15 August 2019 Available Online: 10 September 2019 Article Info