Location: Cereal Crops Research
Project Number: 3060-21000-046-009-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2020
End Date: Jun 30, 2023
Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research project are to: 1) Develop high-breeding value durum germplasm with improved resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) using backcross and doubled haploid (DH) breeding, 2) develop high-breeding value hard red spring wheat (HRSW) germplasm with improved FHB resistance using DH breeding, and 3) transfer FHB resistance from wild relatives of wheat into durum and HRSW cultivars.
Approach:
We previously developed many durum lines with improved FHB resistance with Fhb1 and/or 5AS/5AL QTL from hexaploid wheat lines ‘Sumai 3’ and PI 277012. Six lines were designated as D151343 through D151348. We have backcrossed these durum lines with new durum variety ND Riveland. In this project, approximately 10,400 BC1F2 and BC2F2 plants will be genotyped using the STARP markers for Fhb1 and 5AS/5AL QTL. The BC1F2 and BC2F2 plants with Fhb1 and/or 5AS/5AL QTL will be advanced to BC1F5 and BC2F5 generations. Three elite durum lines D151343, D151344, and D151347 will be crossed to ND Riveland. Their F1 hybrids will be used to develop DH lines using the wheat × maize method. The DH lines will be genotyped using the STARP markers. We previously backcrossed 13 Triticum monococcum accessions with moderate levels of FHB resistance to ND Riveland. We will develop BC1-derived advance lines with FHB resistance by evaluation and selection. The selected DH and BC-derived lines will be evaluated for FHB resistance and agronomic traits in greenhouse and field nurseries.
To develop high-breeding value HRSW germplasm with FHB resistance, we previously developed three elite HRSW lines 15FAR1157-1, 15FAR1162-1, and 15FAR1162-2 (pedigree: ‘Glenn’/PI 277012//‘Howard’/3/2*Faller) with FHB resistance and adaptability. In this project, we will develop about 300 DH lines each from the F1 hybrids of the three lines crossed with HRSW cultivars ‘ND VitPro’, ‘Elgin-ND’, Faller, and ‘Bolles’ using the wheat × maize method. The DH lines will be genotyped using the STARP markers for Fhb1 and the 5AS/5AL QTL. The lines carrying the Fhb1 and/or 5AS/5AL QTL will be evaluated in greenhouse and the FHB nurseries and the top lines will also be evaluated for agronomic traits, yield and quality in a yield trial.
For transferring of FHB resistance from wheat relatives, we previously developed several 7D/7el2 introgression lines carrying Fhb7 from tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrim ponticum). In this project, we will transfer Fhb7 from chromosome 7D to 7A or 7B in durum and eliminate yellow pigment gene PSY-E1 from the 7el2 segment carrying Fhb7 on 7D in common wheat using ph1b-mediated homoeologous recombination by backcrossing a wheat 7D/7el2 introgression line RWG52 to the ph1b mutants of durum ‘Divide’ and HRSW ‘Alsen’. Meanwhile, we will use the STARP markers for Fhb7 and PSY-E1 to genotype about 10,000 plants from the BC2F1 seeds from the backcrosses of the original translocation lines with Chinese Spring (CS) ph1b mutant. The new recombinants only carrying Fhb7 region but PSY-E1 will be selected. In addition, a wheat-Th. ponticum amphiploid Xiaoyan 784 with FHB resistance have been backcrossed to CS. In this project, about 200 BC1F1 plants will be individually evaluated. The resistant lines will be cytologically examined. If the resistance is associated with a Th. ponticum chromosome, a wheat-Th. ponticum disomic addition line will be selected for alien gene introgression using ph1b-mediated homoeologous recombination. If the resistance is not associated with Th. ponticum chromosome(s), the resistant line will be backcrossed to ND HRSW cultivars ‘ND VitPro’ and ‘Elgin-ND’.
