Location: Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research
2023 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Development and release of fusarium head blight-resistant spring wheat germplasm ‘WGC002’. A wheat line containing a novel wild grass-derived Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance gene (Fhb7) was released. ARS scientists in Lincoln, Nebraska, in collaboration with North Dakota State University scientists, developed FHB-resistant wheat germplasm through a chromosome engineering-based breeding pipeline. Development of this wheat makes this wild grass-originated FHB resistance gene usable in wheat breeding. WGC002 does not contain wild grass-derived deleterious traits and is ready for immediate use for variety development. In addition, the resistance gene-specific DNA markers were developed to enhance the utility of this novel resistance gene in wheat breeding. Utilization of WGC002 in wheat breeding for FHB resistance will strengthen and diversify the plant resistance of wheat to FHB and reduce the economic losses of wheat growers caused by this devastating fungal disease.
2. Deployment of the novel fusarium head blight resistance gene Fhb7 in the adapted hard red spring wheat. Novel wild grass-derived fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance gene Fhb7 was deployed in three hard red spring wheats (HRSW) accessions through the marker-assisted backcrossing breeding pipeline. ARS scientists in Lincoln, Nebraska, developed three HRSW germplasm lines containing Fhb7 and have been evaluated for FHB resistance in the greenhouse and field. These wheat lines exhibited significant resistance to FHB compared to their susceptible HRSW parents in both environments. This work enables HRSW to gain this new FHB resistance gene, which will enhance and diversify the genetic resistance of HRSW to FHB and reduce the economic losses caused by FHB to the HRSW growers in the upper Great Plain regions.
3. Disease determinants of wheat streak mosaic virus. Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) is the causal agent of wheat streak mosaic (WSM) disease, the most economically important viral disease in wheat, accounting for 5 to 7% annual yield losses in the Great Plains region. Wheat resistance against WSMV across a wide range of temperatures is not available; hence, novel management strategies are needed. Determination of viral proteins required for disease development would facilitate identifying host susceptibility genes through protein-protein interaction studies. ARS scientists in Lincoln, Nebraska, identified four WSMV proteins that are collectively involved in different stages of the disease in wheat. Future WSM disease management strategies will focus on disrupting interactions between WSMV and wheat susceptibility proteins required for disease progression.
Review Publications
Tatineni, S., Hein, G.L. 2023. Plant viruses of agricultural importance: current and future perspectives of virus disease management strategies. Phytopathology. 113(2):117-141. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-22-0167-RVW.
Zhang, W., Danilova, T.V., Mingyi, Z., Ren, S., Zhu, X., Zhang, Q., Zhong, S., Dykes, L., Fiedler, J.D., Xu, S.S., Frels, K., Wegulo, S., Boehm Jr, J.D., Cai, X. 2022. Cytogenetic and genomic characterization of a novel tall wheatgrass-derived Fhb7 allele integrated into wheat B genome. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-022-04228-3.
Talukder, Z.I., Underwood, W., Misar, C.G., Seiler, G.J., Liu, Y., Li, X., Cai, X., Qi, L. 2021. Unraveling the Sclerotinia basal stalk rot resistance derived from wild Helianthus argophyllus using a high-density SNP linkage map. Frontiers in Plant Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.617920.
Tatineni, S., Hein, G.L. 2021. High Plains wheat mosaic virus: An enigmatic disease of wheat and corn causing the high plains disease. Molecular Plant Pathology. 22:1167-1179. https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.13113.
Kiszonas, A., Ibba, M., Boehm Jr., J.D., Morris, C.F. 2021. Effects of Glu-D1 gene introgressions on soft white spring durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) quality. Cereal Chemistry. 98(5):1112-1122. https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10459.
Kiszonas, A.M., Ibba, M., Boehm Jr., J.D., Morris, C.F. 2021. Effects of the functional Gpc-B1 allele on soft durum wheat grain, milling, flour, dough, and breadmaking quality. Cereal Chemistry. 98(6):1250-1258. https://doi.org/10.1002/cche.10477.
Alam, M., Kashif, M., Easterly, A.C., Wang, F., Boehm Jr, J.D., Baenziger, P.S. 2021. Coleoptile length comparison of three winter small grain cereals adapted to the Great Plains. Cereal Research Communications. 50:127-136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-021-00151-3.
Gill, B., Klindworth, D.L., Rouse, M.N., Zhang, J., Zhang, Q., Sharma, J.S., Chu, C.N., Long, Y., Chao, S., Olivera, P.D., Friesen, T.L., Zhong, S., Jin, Y., Faris, J.D., Fiedler, J.D., Elias, E.M., Liu, S., Cai, X., Xu, S.S. 2021. Function and evolution of allelic variation of Sr13 conferring resistance to stem rust in tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum L.). Plant Journal. 106:1674-1691. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.15263.
Athiyannan, N., Long, Y., Kang, H., Chandramohan, S., Bhatt, D., Zhang, Q., Klindworth, D.L., Rouse, M.N., Friesen, T.L., MciIntosh, R., Zhang, P., Forrest, K., Hayden, M., Patpour, M., Hovmoller, M.S., Hickey, L.T., Ayliffe, M., Cai, X., Lagudah, E.S., Periyannan, S., Xu, S.S. 2022. Haplotype variants of Sr46 in Aegilops tauschii, the diploid D genome progenitor of wheat. Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 135: 2627-2639. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-022-04132-w.
Talukder, M.I., Underwood, W., Misar, C., Seiler, G.J., Cai, X., Li, X., Qi, L. 2022. A quantitative genetic study of Sclerotinia head rot resistance introgressed from the wild perennial Helianthus maximiliani into cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 23(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23147727.
Nunna, H., Qu, F., Tatineni, S. 2023. P3 and NIa-Pro of turnip mosaic virus are independent elicitors of superinfection exclusion. Viruses. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15071459.
