ARS | Publication request: Field tests of transgenic barley lines in North Dakota

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 5, 2011
Publication Date: December 4, 2011
Citation: Dahleen, L.S., R. Brueggeman, T. Abebe, and R. Skadsen. 2011. Field tests of transgenic barley lines in North Dakota. In: S. Canty, A. Clark, A. Anderson-Scully, D. Ellis, and D. Van Sanford (eds), Proceedings of the 2011 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum (p. 82). East Lansing, MI/Lexington, KY: U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative.

Technical Abstract: Testing transgenic barley lines for FHB in the greenhouse does not necessarily give the same results as field tests. The objective of this project was to test 18 transgenic lines in replicated trials in an inoculated FHB nursery. Several programs have developed barley lines expressing anti-fungal and/or anti-toxin genes through partial funding from the USWBSI (Abebe, Dahleen, Skadsen). The Skadsen and Abebe labs inserted transgenes into the cultivar Golden Promise. These lines were backcrossed to Conlon for transgene expression in a cultivar that can be tested in North Dakota and Minnesota. In 2010, BC1F2 pooled seed of each line were tested. After another cross in 2010, the BC2F2 pooled seed were tested in 2011. In addition, 14 Conlon transgenic lines previously tested that showed reduced FHB and DON were evaluated again in 2011 along with wild type Conlon as the susceptible check and CI4196 as the resistant check. The mean FHB severity across all lines and replicates was 3.6%, mean FHB incidence was 48.5% and mean DON was 5.6 µg/g. Conlon and most of the transgenic lines showed significantly less DON than CI4196, but few other differences were detected in this single year trial. Comparison of seven lines tested in multiple years reveals that two transgenic lines (321-Tri12 and 823-tlp) consistently showed a 40% reduction in DON. Efforts to transfer these transgenes into resistant 6-rowed lines (Quest, ND20448) are underway to determine whether the transgene effect is additive to resistance being incorporated by the breeding programs.