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ARS Home » Plains Area » El Reno, Oklahoma » Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center » Peanut and Small Grains Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #428179
Research Project: Genetic Improvement for Resistance to Aphids and Major Diseases in Wheat, Barley, and Sorghum in the Great Plains

Location: Peanut and Small Grains Research Unit

Title: Identification of a novel powdery mildew resistance gene in a winter wheat cultivar

Author
item Xu, Xiangyang
item Li, Genqiao
item WATIRA, TEZERA WOLABU - Oklahoma State University
item Cowger, Christina
item Bai, Guihua
item CARVER, BRETT - Oklahoma State University
item BIAN, RUOLIN - Kansas State University
item Bernardo, Amy
item WU, YANQI - Oklahoma State University

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/8/2026
Publication Date: 4/12/2026
Citation: Xu, X., Li, G., Watira, T., Cowger, C., Bai, G., Carver, B.F., Bian, R., Bernardo, A.E., Wu, Y. 2026. Identification of a novel powdery mildew resistance gene in a winter wheat cultivar. Plant Disease. 0(ja). https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-01-26-0240-RE.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-01-26-0240-RE

Interpretive Summary: Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is an important staple crop that sustains over one-third of the global population. Powdery mildew, an economically important disease caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), significantly affects wheat production in many wheat-growing regions. Host resistance has proven to be the most efficient method to manage powdery mildew, and more powdery mildew resistance genes are needed to diversify resistance sources and meet the needs of the increasing global human population. PI 606247 (formerly ‘Samara’) is a winter wheat cultivar developed in the Czech Republic in 1995 that exhibits resistance to representative U.S. Bgt isolates. Genetic analysis indicated that a single, dominant gene conditions the powdery mildew resistance in PI 606247. Further analysis using molecular markers located the powdery mildew resistance gene, designated Pm606247, to the terminal region of chromosome arm 2BL. Pm606247 is a novel powdery mildew resistance gene that may play an essential role in enhancing powdery mildew resistance in the USA, and user-friendly, high throughput molecular markers have been developed to facilitate its use in cultivar development.

Technical Abstract: Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is an important staple crop that sustains over one-third of the global population. Powdery mildew, an economically important disease caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), significantly affects wheat production in many wheat-growing regions. Therefore, identification of novel powdery mildew resistance genes that can be easily used in wheat cultivar development is essential for meeting the needs of the increasing global human population. PI 606247 (formerly ‘Samara’) is a winter wheat cultivar developed in the Czech Republic in 1995 that exhibits resistance to representative U.S. Bgt isolates. An F6:7 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from PI 606247 × Jagalene was evaluated for responses to Bgt isolate OKS(14)-B-3-1. Genetic analysis identified a dominant gene, designated Pm606247, conditioning powdery mildew resistance in PI 606247. Selective genotyping of a subset of RILs identified SNPs co-segregating with powdery mildew resistance in the terminal region of the long arm of chromosome 2B. Linkage analysis using kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers located Pm606247 to a 14.43 Mb interval between 686.69 Mb and 701.12 Mb in IWGSC RefSeq v2.1 reference sequence. Pm606247 is a new powdery mildew resistance gene differing from the others in this region in genetics, genomic location, origin, and responses to Bgt isolates. Pm606247 is valuable for enhancing powdery mildew resistance, and the KASP markers closely linked to Pm606247 can facilitate the deployment of the gene in breeding programs through marker-assisted breeding programs.