ARS | Publication request: Single nucleotide polymorphism in wheat chromosome region harboring Fhb1 for Fusarium head blight resistance

Submitted to: Molecular Breeding
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: March 19, 2011
Publication Date: April 3, 2011
Repository URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/a21475172p20p567/
Citation: Bernardo, A., Ma, H., Zhang, D., Bai, G. 2011. Single nucleotide polymorphism in wheat chromosome region harboring Fhb1 for Fusarium head blight resistance. Molecular Breeding. DOI.10.1007/s11032-011-9565-Y.

Interpretive Summary: Fusarium head blight (FHB), also called scab, is a destructive disease worldwide that significantly reduces both grain yield and quality of wheat. A gene (Fhb1) resistant to the disease has been found in the short arm of chromosome 3B of from cultivar Sumai 3. This gene has shown the largest effect on FHB resistance. In breeding programs, large-scale evaluation of breeding materials for FHB resistance in field conditions is difficult. As a better alternative, molecular markers closely linked to the gene can be used to select for the resistance gene without need of direct field tests. Several molecular markers for the gene have been developed and used in breeding programs, but they only give good prediction in certain groups of breeding materials. Thus better markers are still urgently needed for effective use of the gene to improve wheat resistance to FHB. In this study, a new generation marker called single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was developed for marker-assisted breeding. This type of marker is suitable for high-throughput analysis and can predict the presence of Fhb1 of Sumai 3. The SNP markers identified in this study should be useful for gene cloning and marker-assisted selection of Fhb1.

Technical Abstract: Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease that reduces wheat grain yield and quality. To date, the quantitative trait locus on 3BS (Fhb1) from Sumai 3 has shown the largest effect on FHB resistance. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is the most common form of genetic variation and suitable for high-throughput marker-assisted selection (MAS). We analyzed SNPs derived from 23 wheat expressed sequence tags (ESTs) that previously mapped near Fhb1 on chromosome 3BS. Using 71 Ning 7840/Clark BC7F7 recombinant inbred lines and the single-base extension method, we mapped seven SNP markers between Xgwm533 and Xgwm493, flanking markers for Fhb1. Five of the SNPs explained 45–54% of the phenotypic variation for FHB resistance. Haplotype analysis of 63 wheat accessions from eight countries based on SNPs in EST sequences, simple sequence repeats, and sequence tagged sites in the Fhb1 region identified four major groups: (1) US-Clark, (2) Asian, (3) US-Ernie, and (4) Chinese Spring. The Asian group consisted of Chinese and Japanese accessions that carry Fhb1 and could be differentiated from other groups by marker Xsnp3BS-11. All Sumai 3-related accessions formed a subgroup within the Asian group and could be sorted out by Xsnp3BS-8. The SNP markers identified in this study should be useful for fine mapping and MAS of Fhb1.