Location: Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research
2021 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Resistance against fusarium head blight in wheat. Wheat production has been continuously threatened by various biotic and abiotic stresses, such as disease pathogens, pests, and climate change. The genetic potential of wheat needs to be constantly improved by incorporating disease resistance genes for sustained wheat production under emerging disease threats. Fusarium head blight (FHB), also called scab, is a devastating fungal disease of wheat and barley in the U.S. and worldwide. Researchers in Lincoln, Nebraska, in collaboration with North Dakota State University scientists, incorporated a wild grass-derived FHB resistance gene Fhb7 into wheat by chromosome engineering (non-GMO). The Fhb7-containing wheat germplasm will be released and made available to the wheat breeding community for variety development.
2. Antimicrobial peptide resistance against the wheat bacterial leaf streak disease. Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) disease is an emerging threat to wheat in the U.S. BLS disease can cause up to 40% yield loss, and there is no effective chemical control to manage this disease. Researchers in Lincoln, Nebraska, found sequences encoding several plant-based antimicrobial peptides (AMP) provided resistance against the BLS disease. Wheat plants expressing AMPs through wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) as an expression vector were examined for antimicrobial activity against the bacterium causing the BLS. Ace AMP1 found in onion, and Defensin TK AMP D1, -D3, and Ta PDF 13 showed a statistically significant reduction in lesion size compared to WSMV-infected and mock-inoculated wheat. This study revealed that WSMV could be used as an efficient and high-throughput transient expression vector to screen a large number of AMPs for their activity in wheat.
3. Wheat germplasm with broad and specific disease resistance traits. Wheat germplasm with broad and specific disease resistance traits. Wheat production needs to be improved by identifying disease resistance traits from wild grasses and perennial wheat, followed by incorporating these genes into commercial wheat cultivars. Researchers in Lincoln, Nebraska, screened twelve perennial wheat genotypes for resistance against wheat streak mosaic virus and Triticum mosaic virus. Of these genotypes, PI 611891 and PI 611899 were rated as resistant to both viruses. Characterization of resistant genes found in these perennial wheat lines and their relationship to Wsm1 and Wsm2 genes will facilitate the development of germplasm for the nation’s wheat breeding programs by using traditional breeding approaches.
Review Publications
Tatineni, S., Hein, G.L. 2021. Tritimovirus and rymovirus (potyviridae). Encyclopedia of Virology. 4(3):797-804. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809633-8.21342-3.
Motta-Romero, H., Ferdinand, N., Boehm Jr, J.D., Rose, D.J. 2021. Effects of foliar fungicide on yield, micronutrients, and cadmium in grains from historical and modern Hard winter wheat genotypes. PLoS ONE. 16(3):e0247809. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247809.
