Crop Science Grow Your Career with CSSA
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Published online 27 May 2005
Published in Crop Sci 45:1353-1360 (2005)
© 2005 Crop Science Society of America
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Related articles in Crop Science
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (9)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Oliver, R. E.
Right arrow Articles by Stack, R. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Oliver, R. E.
Right arrow Articles by Stack, R. W.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Oliver, R. E.
Right arrow Articles by Stack, R. W.
Related Collections
Right arrow Germplasm Enhancement
Right arrow Plant Disease
Right arrow Plant Genetic Resources

PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES

Wheat-Alien Species Derivatives

A Novel Source of Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat

R. E. Olivera, X. Caia,*, S. S. Xuc, X. Chena and R. W. Stackb

a Dep. of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State Univ., Fargo, ND 58105
b Dep. of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State Univ., Fargo, ND 58105
c USDA-ARS, Northern Crop Science Lab., Fargo, ND 58105

* Corresponding author (xiwen.cai{at}ndsu.nodak.edu)


   ABSTRACT
TOP
 ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, is a destructive disease of wheat (Triticum spp.) in humid growth conditions throughout the world. Genetic resistance of the host plant is considered the most effective and sustainable method of defense against FHB; however, only limited sources of resistance are available in wheat. Relatives of wheat have proven to be an invaluable gene pool for wheat improvement. The objective of this study was to explore relatives of wheat for FHB resistance. We evaluated 293 lines derived from the crosses of wheat with its relatives for resistance to spread of FHB infection over two greenhouse seasons. Of these 293 derivatives, 66 were susceptible, 153 appeared moderately resistant, and 74 lines exhibited a level of resistance comparable with T. aestivum L. ‘Sumai 3’, the most widely used source of resistance to FHB. Alien species involved in development of these derivatives include T. tauschii (Coss.) Schmal., Roegneria kamoji C. Koch, R. ciliaris (Trin.) Nevski, Leymus racemosus Lam., Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey, Th. elongatum (Host) D.R. Dewey, Th. junceum (L.) Love, Th. intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey, Dasypyrum villosa L., Secale cereale L., and oat (Avena sativa L.). The wheat-alien species derivatives identified as resistant to FHB include wheat-alien species amphiploids, synthetic hexaploid wheat lines, and wheat-alien species substitution and translocation lines. These derivatives could serve as novel sources to enhance resistance of wheat to FHB.

Abbreviations: FHB, Fusarium head blight


   INTRODUCTION
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT is a serious threat to wheat production throughout the world (Schroeder and Christensen, 1963; Bai and Shaner, 1994; McMullen et al., 1997; Stack, 2003). In North America, the disease is caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe [teleomorph Gibberella zeae (Schw.) Petch] (Bai and Shaner, 1994; McMullen et al., 1997). Infection occurs in response to humid growth conditions and results in shriveled, light-weight kernels with a chalky dull-gray or pink appearance (Sutton, 1982; Parry et al., 1995). Associated mycotoxin accumulation also reduces grain quality, posing a health risk to potential consumers (McMullen et al., 1997; Bai et al., 2001). Cumulative economic losses due to FHB in the United States have been estimated at $2.7 billion from 1998 through 2000 (Nganje et al., 2001).

Extensive efforts have been made to reduce losses due to FHB using host resistance (Bai and Shaner, 1994; Parry et al., 1995; Miedaner, 1997; Rudd et al., 2001); however, progress has been slow because of the lack of highly effective resistance sources. In common wheat (Triticum aestivum, 2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD), only a handful of partial resistance sources have been identified, including the Chinese cultivar Sumai 3 and its derivatives, the Brazilian cultivar Frontana, and Eastern European germplasm such as ‘Praag 8’ (Mentewab et al., 2000). Identification of novel sources of resistance is vital for the development of wheat cultivars with robust and durable resistance to this disease.

Relatives of wheat represent a rich gene pool for wheat improvement (Sears, 1972; Feldman and Sears, 1981; Gale and Miller, 1987; Jiang et al., 1994b; Jones et al., 1995; Friebe et al., 1996). In recent years, genes from alien species have been successfully used to improve genetic resistance of wheat to numerous pathogens, including barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) (McGuire et al., 1995; Fedak et al., 2001), leaf and stripe rust (caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks. and P. striiformis Westend., respectively) (Dhaliwal et al., 2002; Aghaee-Sarbarzeh et al., 2002), powdery mildew [caused by Blumeria graminis (DC.) E.O. Speer] (Ceoloni et al., 1988; Cenci et al., 2003), and Cephalosporium stripe (caused by Cephalosporium gramineum Nis. & Ika.) (Mathre et al., 1985; Jones et al., 1995; Cai et al., 1996).

A number of relatives of wheat have been identified as resistant to FHB (Ban, 1997; Wan et al., 1997a, 1997b; Liu et al., 2000; Chen et al., 2001; Buerstmayr et al., 2003; Shen et al., 2004). Alien chromatin carrying resistance genes to FHB has been transferred from wild relatives to cultivated wheat (Chen and Liu, 2000; Liu et al., 2000; Fedak et al., 2003; Han and Fedak, 2003). Many wild relatives of wheat have been hybridized with wheat, resulting in the production of numerous amphiploids, synthetic hexaploid wheat lines, and addition, substitution, and translocation lines. These materials offer an excellent prospect for identification of novel sources of FHB resistance genes, since they potentially combine alien resistance genes with a cultivated wheat background (Gale and Miller, 1987; Jiang et al., 1994b; Friebe et al., 1996).

The objective of the present study is to identify novel sources of resistance to the spread of FHB infection from wheat-alien species derivatives. This type of FHB resistance has been termed "Type II resistance" in the literature (Schroeder and Christensen, 1963; Wang and Miller, 1988; Mesterhazy, 1995). Utilization of novel sources of FHB resistance in breeding programs will facilitate the development of wheat cultivars with vigorous and durable resistance to FHB.


   MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
A total of 293 wheat-alien species derivatives were evaluated for FHB resistance in this study. They were derived from the crosses between wheat and its relatives, including T. tauschii (2n = 2x = 14, DD), R. kamoji (2n = 6x = 42, StsStsHtsHtsYtsYts), R. ciliaris (2n = 4x = 28, ScScYcYc), L. racemosus (2n = 4x = 28, JJNN), Th. ponticum (2n = 10x = 70), Th. elongatum (2n = 2x = 14, EE), Th. junceum (2n = 6x = 42), Th. intermedium (2n = 6x = 42), D. villosa (2n = 2x = 14, VV), S. cereale (2n = 2x = 14, RR), and A. sativa (2n = 6x = 42, AACCDD). These wheat-alien species derivatives were provided mainly by Dr. Stephen Jones, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA; Dr. P.D. Chen, Department of Agronomy, Nanjing Agricultural University, China; and Dr. Yue Jin, USDA-ARS, University of Minnesota, St. Paul. Pedigrees, PI numbers, accession numbers, and chromosome constitutions of these derivatives, if known, are provided in Tables 1 and 2.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 1. Mean Fusarium head blight severity of wheat-alien species derivatives.

 

View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 2. Mean Fusarium head blight severity of susceptible and moderately resistant wheat-alien species derivatives.

 
Evaluations were conducted over two seasons in a greenhouse with a controlled environment. The first season of evaluation was performed during the summer of 2003. Lines exhibiting an overall average of <50% infection were reevaluated in a second season during the fall of 2003. The second season also included newly acquired lines, as well as lines for which complete data was not obtained during the first season. Lines with a winter growth habit were vernalized for 6 to 8 wk at 4°C before being transferred to the greenhouse. During both seasons, artificial lighting was employed to provide a 16-h photoperiod. Temperature was maintained at approximately 27°C during the first season and 22°C during the second season. Plants were grown in pots and arranged in a randomized complete block design with two replicates in the first season and three replicates in the second. Replicates consisted of individual pots, each of which contained two plants during the first season and one plant during the second. An average of 10 spikes per genotype was inoculated in each of the two seasons. Resistant controls for both seasons included Chinese common wheat cultivar Sumai 3, as well as ‘Alsen’, a North Dakota spring wheat cultivar. Another Chinese common wheat cultivar, Wangshubai, was used as a resistant control in the second season. Wangshubai and Sumai 3 are two widely used sources of FHB resistance in breeding. To account for the wide variation in maturity among these derivatives, we adopted susceptible controls with flowering dates that spanned the entire period of inoculation. This allowed for monitoring disease pressure during the entire season of screening. Susceptible controls included common spring wheat cultivar Russ for season one and seven synthetic hexaploid wheat lines with varied maturity (Table 1, Entries 5–8 for Season 1 and 9–11 for Season 2).

Inoculation was performed following the methods described by Stack et al. (2002). Briefly, Fusarium graminearum cultures were grown on half strength potato dextrose agar in the laboratory. To account for variations in resistance to different isolates, three strains of pathogenic F. graminearum were used. Inoculum was prepared by flooding the cultures with sterile distilled water and straining the resulting suspension through sterile cheesecloth. The final conidiospore suspension was adjusted to a concentration of 50000 spores mL–1. Ten microliters of the suspension was injected into a single central spikelet per spike at anthesis. To facilitate disease development and increase the stringency of the evaluation, humidity was maintained for 72 h postinoculation by covering each spike with a plastic bag and misting at least once daily. Disease was visually scored as the number of diseased spikelets per spike at 14 and 21 d postinoculation. Total spikelet numbers in each of the inoculated spikes were also recorded. An ANOVA was conducted on the resistant derivatives included in Table 1. Each season was analyzed separately using the Statistical Analysis System version 8.2 (SAS Institute, 1999). Fisher's protected LSD was used for mean separation between genotypes (Steel et al., 1997).


   RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 
We evaluated 293 wheat-alien species derivatives for FHB resistance during two seasons in the greenhouse. These derivatives included 30 wheat-alien species amphiploids, 38 wheat/wheat-alien species amphiploids, 31 synthetic hexaploid wheat lines, 17 wheat-alien chromosome substitution lines, 25 wheat-alien chromosome addition lines, 34 wheat-alien chromosome translocation lines, and 118 wheat-alien species lines with unknown chromosome constitutions. Seventy-four of these derivatives exhibited FHB resistance with an overall average of 2.5 or fewer infected spikelets per spike at 21 d postinoculation in both seasons and are listed in Table 1. In both seasons, an ANOVA indicated significant difference in FHB severity among all the resistant derivatives and resistant controls and susceptible controls. The mean FHB severity of the resistant derivatives was significantly lower than all the susceptible controls in terms of number of infected spikelets per spike and percentage of infected spikelets. There was no significant difference in mean FHB severity between the resistant derivatives and resistant controls (Table 1). The remaining 219 derivatives are listed in Table 2. Sixty-six of them showed susceptibility, exhibiting infection that spread to >50% of the spikelets in inoculated spikes. Moderate resistance, defined as <50% infection, but greater infection than that of resistant controls, was exhibited by 153 derivatives. The moderate resistance category also included derivatives that exhibited resistance, but did not have complete replications. Average FHB reactions of these two groups of derivatives are listed in Table 2.

Some of the wheat-alien species derivatives were evaluated in only one of the two seasons due to lack of seeds at planting and the confounding effect of other wheat diseases, such as powdery mildew. Derivatives exhibiting resistance in both seasons were included in Table 1. The derivatives that were evaluated in one season and exhibited consistent resistance across all replications within that season were also listed in Table 1. Derivatives from which complete disease data was not obtained for each of the replications within a season were not included in Table 1, although they might be resistant to FHB. It can be seen from Table 1 that there was a higher overall FHB severity in the first season than in the second season. This might be because of differences in the greenhouse temperature between the two seasons, since temperature reached 27°C during the first season and 22°C during the second season.

Great diversity in spike morphology and maturity was observed among the 293 wheat-alien species derivatives evaluated. Some of these derivatives, such as wheat-alien species amphiploids, combined characteristics of both wheat and alien species parents and had long, slim spikes and late maturity compared with cultivated wheat (Cai and Xu, 2004, unpublished data). On the other hand, some derivatives exhibited wheat-like spike morphology and maturity (data not shown). Considering the effects of diverse spike morphology on FHB evaluation, FHB severity of these derivatives is presented as the number of infected spikelets per spike and as the percentage of infected spikelets (Tables 1 and 2). Some of the derivatives had high numbers of infected spikelets (>3) but a low percentage of infection because they had a long spike with numerous spikelets. These derivatives were placed in the moderate resistance or susceptible category and were not included in Table 1. Conversely, derivatives that had a high percentage of infection but low numbers of infected spikelets (<2.5), such as Entries 33 and 36 in Table 1, were placed in the category of resistance and are listed in Table 1. These derivatives had short spikes with fewer spikelets than other derivatives with similar numbers of infected spikelets. Consequently, we considered these lines to be resistant to FHB, even though they exhibited relatively high percentages of infected spikelets.

Disease was scored twice (14 and 21 d) after inoculation to investigate response of these wheat-alien species derivatives to FHB across time. Overall infection scores, including those of moderately resistant and susceptible derivatives, were generally higher at 21 d than at 14 d postinoculation in both seasons, indicating noticeable disease progress during the third week after inoculation (Tables 1 and 2). Most of the resistant derivatives, however, exhibited consistently low levels of infection, with minimal disease development between 14 and 21 d postinoculation (Table 1). This characteristic was especially evident in the majority of wheat-alien species amphiploids (Entries 13 to 24) and a number of other derivatives, including Entries 26 to 30, 34, 41, 45, 53, 59, 62, 64, 68, 71, 72, 74, 82, 83, and 85 (Table 1). The consistent resistance during two seasons and the minimal disease development over time indicate the potency of these lines to combat this disease (Table 1).

There are 13 wheat-alien species amphiploids, three synthetic hexaploid wheat lines, two alien chromosome substitution lines, eight alien chromosome translocation lines, and 48 derivatives with unknown chromosome constitutions among the 74 resistant lines identified in this study. Mean FHB severity for these five groups of derivatives plus susceptible and resistant controls is diagrammed in Fig. 1. The three synthetic hexaploid lines exhibited slightly higher FHB severity than the other four groups of derivatives (Fig. 1).



View larger version (90K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Fig. 1. Mean Fusarium head blight severity of (I) resistant controls, (II) susceptible controls, (III) wheat-alien species amphiploids, (IV) substitution lines, (V) translocation lines, (VI) synthetic hexaploid wheat lines, and (VII) other wheat-alien species derivatives included in Table 1. Disease severity is presented as number of infected spikelets (upper) and percentage of infected spikelets (lower).

 
Twelve of the 13 wheat–Thinopyrum amphiploids (Entries 13 to 24, Table 1) evaluated consistently exhibited high levels of resistance during two seasons compared with other lines (Table 1 and Fig. 1). These amphiploids combine the genomes from wheat and Thinopyrum species and contain large amounts of Thinopyrum chromatin. They carry desirable traits, such as high levels of FHB resistance, and undesirable traits as well, such as late maturity, low yield, and poor quality (Cai and Xu, 2004, unpublished data). However, these amphiploids have more wheat-like morphology and a higher cross-compatibility with wheat than do the Thinopyrum species themselves. These characteristics make them desirable bridge materials for evaluating FHB resistance of the Thinopyrum species and for utilizing the resistance in wheat breeding (Gale and Miller, 1987; Jiang et al., 1994b). Molecular cytogenetic characterization has identified varied amounts of Thinopyrum chromatin in these amphiploids (data not shown). Chromosome manipulation has been performed with these amphiploids to eliminate unwanted Thinopyrum chromatin and transfer the FHB resistance to cultivated wheat.

Wheat-alien species chromosome addition and substitution lines, which carry one or more alien chromosomes, were also screened for FHB resistance in this study. Resistance of two T. aestivum ‘Chinese Spring’–Agropyron elongatum substitution lines, 1E/1D (Entry 25) and 7E/7B (Entry 26), suggests that Ag. elongatum chromosomes 1E and 7E carry resistance genes to FHB (Table 1). Chromosome 7E in Ag. elongatum was reported to carry FHB resistance in previous studies (Fedak et al., 2003; Shen et al., 2004), which is consistent with the results in the present study. Since addition and substitution lines have less alien chromatin in their genomes than the corresponding amphiploids, they have less of a chance to carry undesirable traits than the amphiploids. In addition, chromosome manipulation for gene transfer from the addition and substitution lines to wheat could be more precise than from amphiploids to wheat (Gale and Miller, 1987; Jiang et al., 1994b). We have been manipulating these two Ag. elongatum chromosomes in attempts to transfer the resistance to adapted wheat cultivars.

Production of wheat-alien species chromosome translocation lines is the best approach to transfer alien genes to wheat because these lines contain the gene of interest in a translocated fragment of alien chromatin. Thus, they not only contribute minimal amounts of alien chromatin, but they are genetically more stable than amphiploids and addition and substitution lines (Gale and Miller, 1987; Jiang et al., 1994b). Some of the wheat-alien species translocation lines evaluated in this study demonstrated resistance to FHB (Table 1). Among these resistant translocation lines, Amigo (Entry 27) is a common wheat cultivar that contains both wheat–rye and wheat–Ag. elongatum translocations (Cai, 1994; Jiang et al., 1994a). Other translocation lines with resistance in this study contain chromatin from Haynaldia villosa (Entries 29 to 31) (P.D. Chen, 2003, personal communication), Ag. elongatum (Entries 32 and 33) (Sears, 1972), and Leymus racemosus (Entry 34) (Chen and Liu, 2000). These lines can be used directly by breeders to develop wheat cultivars resistant to this disease. We have been using the amphiploids and addition and substitution lines with FHB resistance to generate resistant translocation lines via chromosome manipulation.

Synthetic hexaploid wheat lines are T. turgidum–T. tauschii amphiploids. We screened 31 synthetic hexaploid wheat lines, three of which were resistant to FHB (Entries 35 to 37, Table 1). The durum wheat parent involved in these lines is Langdon, which is susceptible to FHB. This result suggested that resistance of these three synthetic hexaploid wheat lines might be from the T. tauschii accessions or intergenomic gene interaction. These synthetic hexaploid wheat lines can be readily utilized in breeding for FHB resistance in common wheat because they have the same genomes as common wheat.

A number of lines identified as resistant to FHB in this study were derived from the crosses between Spitzer, a partial wheat-Th. ponticum amphiploid, and Madsen, a common wheat cultivar. The FHB reaction of Madsen is unknown. Spitzer (Entry 12) was resistant to FHB in this study (Table 1). However, a number of Spitzer-Madsen derivatives exhibited resistance levels which exceed that of Spitzer, suggesting that Madsen or gene interaction may also contribute to the resistance in these derivatives.

The wheat-alien species derivatives identified in this study represent a novel source of resistance to FHB for both durum wheat and common wheat. Further study is being performed to characterize resistance genes and chromosome constitutions in these derivatives. This will aid in efficient utilization of these genetic resources to enhance FHB resistance in wheat.


   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
The authors thank Kay M. Carlson and Jana M. Hansen for their invaluable technical assistance. Gratitude is also due to Curt D. Doetkott for his statistical advice. This project was supported by the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative.

Received for publication August 23, 2004.


   REFERENCES
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 


Related articles in Crop Science:

THIS ISSUE IN CROP SCIENCE

Crop Science 2005 45: vii. [Full Text]  



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Crop Sci.Home page
T. L. Friesen, S. S. Xu, and M. O. Harris
Stem Rust, Tan Spot, Stagonospora nodorum Blotch, and Hessian Fly Resistance in Langdon Durum-Aegilops tauschii Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat Lines
Crop Sci., May 1, 2008; 48(3): 1062 - 1070.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Crop Sci.Home page
R. E. Oliver, R. W. Stack, J. D. Miller, and X. Cai
Reaction of Wild Emmer Wheat Accessions to Fusarium Head Blight
Crop Sci., March 1, 2007; 47(2): 893 - 897.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Crop Sci.Home page
S.S. Xu, X. Cai, T. Wang, M.O. Harris, and T.L. Friesen
Registration of Two Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat Germplasms Resistant to Hessian Fly
Crop Sci., April 25, 2006; 46(3): 1401 - 1402.
[Full Text] [PDF]

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) Free
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Related articles in Crop Science
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (9)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Oliver, R. E.
Right arrow Articles by Stack, R. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Oliver, R. E.
Right arrow Articles by Stack, R. W.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Oliver, R. E.
Right arrow Articles by Stack, R. W.
Related Collections
Right arrow Germplasm Enhancement
Right arrow Plant Disease
Right arrow Plant Genetic Resources

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
The SCI Journals Agronomy Journal Vadose Zone Journal
Journal of Natural Resources
and Life Sciences Education		 Soil Science Society of America Journal
Journal of Plant Registrations Journal of
Environmental Quality		 The Plant Genome