Isolates of Puccinia triticina were obtained from wheat leaf collectio
ns made by cooperators throughout the United States and from cereal ru
st field surveys of the Great Plains, Ohio Valley, and Gulf Coast stat
es in 1993, 1994, and 1995. Sixty-two virulence/avirulence phenotypes
on 14 host lines that are near-isogenic for leaf rust resistance were
found among 681 single uredinial isolates in 1993, 42 phenotypes were
found among 683 isolates in 1994, and 51 among 701 isolates in 1995. A
s in previous surveys, regional race distribution patterns showed that
the central United States is a single epidemiological unit distinct f
rom the eastern United States. The distinctive racial composition of c
ollections from the Southeast, Northeast, and Ohio Valley indicates th
at populations of P. triticina in those areas are discrete, suggesting
epidemics originate from localized overwintering sources.