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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413827
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Sorghum for Bioenergy, Feed, and Food Uses

Location: Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research

Title: Responses of wheat constitutively expressing monolignol biosynthetic genes to fusarium head blight caused by fusarium graminearum

Author
item Funnell-Harris, Deanna
item Sattler, Scott
item DILL-MACKY, RUTH - University Of Minnesota
item WEGULO, STEPHEN - University Of Nebraska
item DURAY, ZACHARY - Illinois Crop Improvement Association
item O`Neill, Patrick
item Gries, Tammy
item Masterson, Steven
item Graybosch, Robert
item Mitchell, Robert - Rob

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2024
Publication Date: 7/31/2024
Citation: Funnell-Harris, D.L., Sattler, S.E., Dill-Macky, R., Wegulo, S.N., Duray, Z.T., Oneill, P.M., Gries, T.L., Masterson, S.D., Graybosch, R.A., Mitchell, R. 2024. Responses of wheat constitutively expressing monolignol biosynthetic genes to fusarium head blight caused by fusarium graminearum. Presented at Plant Health 2024, Memphis, TN. P-274.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fusarium head blight, primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum, reduced grain yield and quality with mycotoxins, including the trichothecene deoxynivalenol (DON). Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotype CB037 was transformed using constitutive expression (CE) of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. (Moench)) genes encoding monolignol biosynthetic enzymes, caffeoyl-Coenzyme A (CoA) 3-O-methyltransferase (SbCCoAOMT), 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (Sb4CL), or coumaroyl shikimate 3-hydroxylase (SbC3’H), or the transcriptional activator, SbMyb60. Lines were screened for resistance to initial infection (Type I) and resistance to spread within the spike (Type II) in the greenhouse (using spray and single floret inoculations, respectively), along with testing in an inoculated mist-irrigated field nursery. In the field, disease index, percent Fusarium damaged kernels (FDK), and DON levels of CE plants were at least as high as those of CB037. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) and FDK were determined in the greenhouse tests, focusing on two each of the SbC3’H and SbCCoAOMT CE lines. With spray inoculations, the CE lines were as susceptible as CB037. But in single floret inoculations these lines had significantly reduced AUDPC (P<0.01) and FDK (P=0.02) compared to CB037, indicating improved Type II resistance. None of these CE lines had increased acid detergent lignin, as compared with CB037, indicating that lignin concentration may not be a major factor in FHB resistance. The SbC3’H and SbCCoAOMT CE lines are promising for investigating phenylpropanoid-based FHB resistance.