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Wheat leaf rust is a devastating disease worldwide. Identification of leaf rust resistance genes in seedlings and of genes for slow rusting are important in resistance breeding and for gene deployment to control the disease. A total of 108 wheat cultivars from the Beijing and Shandong province and a set of 36 differentials, mostly near-isogenic lines in the background of Thatcher with known leaf rust resistance genes, were tested with 20 Puccinia triticina pathotypes (FHJS1, FGBQ, PGJQ, SHJT, FHGQ, PHTT1, FHGQ, FHGQ, PHJS, THSM, FHSQ, PHST, PRSQ, FNTQ, PHGM, KHGQ, PHTT2, TGTT, FHJS2, NHHT) at the seedling stage in the greenhouse. The cultivars and differentials were also planted in the field to test their slow rusting resistance using a mixture of races at Baoding, Hebei province and Zhoukou, Henan province, for two consecutive years. Ten leaf rust resistance genes, Lr1, 9, 10, 19, 20, 24, 26, 34, 37 and 46 were identified in the 57 commercial wheat cultivars, either singly or in combination, using molecular markers. Combined, the results from gene postulation and marker detection showed that one or more of the genes Lr1, 3, 10, 14a, 14b, 26, 36, 39, 34 and 46, were present in 57 cultivars, and that no known resistance gene was present in the remaining 51 cultivars. The resistance gene Lr26 was present in 42 cultivars, and nine cultivars contained Lr1. Lr46 was present in 10 cultivars, as indicated by the presence of the closely linked marker csLV46G22. Seven genotypes were identified as possibly carrying the gene Lr39. Lr3 and 10 were found in six and four genotypes, respectively. The genes Lr14b and 34 were each present in three cultivars, while evidence for the presence of Lr14a and 36 was obtained in single genotypes. Finally, 12 cultivars showed slow rusting resistance at two locations in two crop seasons. The identification of leaf rust resistance genes in Chinese wheat cultivars will be helpful for gene deployment to control leaf rust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]