Ultrastructural Changes in the Interaction Between Puccinia striiformis and Wheat Cultivar with Slow-Rusting Resistance

Ultrastructural changes in both pathogen and host cells in the interaction between Puccinia striiformis and wheat cultivar (Libellula) with slow-rusting resistance were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Observations revealed marked changes in ultrastructure of both pathogen and host cells. In the pathogen respect, there were many vesicles appeared in the intercellular hyphae and gradually fused into bigger vacuoles, a number of fat drops and electron-dense granules accumulated, mitochondria became swollen and some of them degraded into vesicles, and the plasmalemma of intercellular hyphae became dark. In the haustoria, the cytoplasm degraded gradually and developed a vacuole in the center, fat drops increased, the extrahaustorial matrix widened with a great amount of electron-dense fibrillar and granular materials, and most of the haustoria died with in conjunction with the disappearance of fat drops and other organelles. Structural defense of the host, including formation of cell wall apposition, collar and papilla, occurred in the host respect. Host resistance expression and cytological features occurring in the slow-rusting resistance were discussed.