Resistance

Most winter barley varieties in the UK have moderate levels of field resistance, and some have specific resistance genes. The HGCA recommended list for cereals ratings for 2006/07 for winter barley varieties average 7.3 whereas for spring barleys the average 5.2.

Virulence

Several major genes for resistance have been deployed but all can be overcome by emergence of matching virulence (probably loss of the avirulence gene product), and frequency of such virulence generally correlates with area of varieties deployed with the matching resistance. R. secalis populations are thought to undergo recombination from population genetic studies but the sexual stage has not been recorded. Nevertheless, winter varieties retain some effective field resistance.