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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 #432663
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: Characterization of Dn11, a new Russian wheat aphid resistance gene in Iranian landrace PI 626575

Author
item Xu, Xiangyang
item Li, Genqiao
item WATIRA, TEZERA WOLABU - Oklahoma State University
item Chamberlin, Kelly
item Bernardo, Amy
item Jordan, Katherine
item CARVER, BRETT - Oklahoma State University
item WU, YANQI - Oklahoma State University

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2026
Publication Date: 7/10/2026
Citation: Xu, X., Li, G., Watira, T., Chamberlin, K.D., Bernardo, A.E., Jordan, K., Carver, B.F., Wu, Y. 2026. Characterization of Dn11, a new Russian wheat aphid resistance gene in Iranian landrace PI 626575. Crop Science. 66(4). Article e70320. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70320.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70320

Interpretive Summary: Russian wheat aphid is a highly invasive and destructive wheat pest posing a threat to global wheat production, and host resistance is preferred for managing RWA because RWA can avoid insecticides by living on inside rolled wheat leaves. However, RWA evolves quickly to overcome host resistance, necessitating continuous discovery of new resistance genes. PI 626575 is an Iranian landrace exhibiting resistance to RWA biotype 2 (RWA2), the dominant and most widely virulent RWA biotype in the USA. Genetic analysis indicated that a single gene on chromosome arm 7DL, officially designated Dn11, confers resistance in PI 626575. Dn11 is a novel RWA resistance gene independent of Dn10, which was previously mapped to chromosome arm 7DL. User-friendly, high throughput KASP markers were developed to trace Dn11 in wheat breeding.

Technical Abstract: Russian wheat aphid (RWA, Diuraphis noxia Kurdjumov) is a highly invasive and destructive wheat pest posing a threat to global wheat production, and host resistance is preferred for managing RWA because RWA can avoid insecticides by living on inside rolled wheat leaves. However, RWA evolves quickly to overcome host resistance, necessitating continuous discovery of new resistance genes. PI 626575 is an Iranian landrace exhibiting resistance to RWA biotype 2 (RWA2), the dominant and most widely virulent RWA biotype in the USA. Evaluation of 131 F2:3 lines from cross PI 626575 × Jagalene for responses to RWA2 infestation indicated that a single gene, designated Dn11, confers resistance in PI 626575. Genotyping of a subset of F2 plants from the same cross using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) led to identification of over 10,000 SNPs. Allele distribution analysis of SNPs in the genotyped F2 plants with contrasting phenotypes identified a set of SNPs associated with RWA resistance in the interval 401.7 - 578.8 Mb on chromosome arm 7DL. Linkage analysis using KASP markers converted from SNPs in the target region delimited Dn11 to an interval of 11.96 Mb between 519.22 and 531.18 Mb. Dn11 was 1.6 cM distal to Stars-KASP1043 and 2.4 cM proximal to Stars-KASP1046. A test of allelism indicated that Dn11 is a novel RWA resistance gene with loose linkage to Dn10, previously mapped to chromosome arm 7DL. Estimated genetic distance between Dn11 and Dn10 was 16.04 ± 0.67 cM. KASP markers flanking Dn11 can be widely used to trace this gene in wheat breeding.