Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research
Project Number: 8044-22000-046-012-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 24, 2018
End Date: Sep 23, 2022
Objective:
1. Evaluation of U.S. and Asian wheat germplasm for resistance to wheat blast.
2. Development of new resistant germplasm.
3. Collection of new wheat pathotypes for M. oryzae for diagnostics development.
4. Collection of M. oryzae isolates from wild grasses in Bolivian and Bangladeshi fields.
Approach:
U.S. wheat germplasm is currently being tested for wheat blast resistance in BSL-3 greenhouses and growth chambers at ARS Fort Detrick, MD and at the Biosecurity Research Institute at Kansas State University. Germplasm showing less than 10% infection from these replicated inoculations will be evaluated in Research plots established by Kansas State University in Bolivia in cooperation with ANAPO. Winter wheat entries will be sent to ANAPO for 8 weeks of artificial vernilization, the transplanted to the field using a replicated, randomized plot design and exposed to 14 to 16 hours of supplemental light to induce tillering and heading. Spring-habit wheat will be sent for planting without vernilazation. Results obtained from both greenhouse and field evaluation will be passed back to U.S. breeders for evaluation and development of new germplasm. Testing of potential new sources of resistance will be evaluated in both the greenhouse and through field screenings. New isolates of M. oryzae collected from wheat and wild grass sources in Bolivia and Bangladesh will be used in the development and confirmation of new molecular diagnostics and detection methods. There are 2 planting seasons per year. The number of winter wheat lines to be tested is limited to 20 per season due to vernilization chamber space available.
