Authors: Mary J. Guttieri 1, Guihua Bai 1, Gina Brown-Guedira 2, Jason Fiedler 3, Steven Xu 4, Xiwen Cai 5, and Jeffrey Boehm Jr. 5
1. USDA-ARS Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research Unit, Manhattan, KS
2. USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit, Raleigh, NC
3. USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Improvement Research Unit, Fargo, ND
4. USDA-ARS Crop Improvement and Genetics Research Unit, Albany, CA
5. USDA-ARS Wheat, Sorghum, and Forage Research Unit, Lincoln, NE
Corresponding Author: Mary Guttieri, mary.guttieri@usda.gov
Presenting Author: Mary Guttieri
Abstract
Germplasm enhancement for Fusarium head blight resistance is built into research programs of USDA-ARS geneticists across the United States. The regional genotyping laboratories provide support for genetic marker development and application of both allele-specific markers and genome-wide genotyping for genomic prediction. In addition, ARS germplasm enhancement efforts collectively expand availability of well adapted parents with valuable resistance alleles for commercial breeding programs. At Manhattan, KS, near-isolines of the soft red winter (SRW) wheat ‘Clark’ with Fhb1 were released (PI 668559 – PI 668563). These were followed by distribution of introgression of Fhb1 into the Nebraska hard red winter wheat (HRW), ‘Wesley.’ Subsequently, Wesley-Fhb1 was used to develop Fhb1 introgressions into eleven regional HRWs from five breeding programs. One such line, an introgression into ‘Garrison’ named ‘Scab Stryker,’ was released in 2024 by Oklahoma State University. Building upon this work, pyramids combining Fhb1, Fhb7 and Fhb9 are being built into 15 backgrounds from 7 programs. At Fargo, ND, germplasm enhancement efforts in hard red spring wheat are using the ‘Sumai 3’ resistance and the Chr 5A resistance from the spelt, PI 277012. This resistance from PI 277012 also is being used for germplasm enhancement at Raleigh, NC, where efforts are underway to bring this resistance into coupling with the winter allele at vrnA1 in SRW. The Raleigh program also brought Fhb1 into coupling with the adult plant stem rust gene, Sr2, and distributed seed for evaluation in regional nurseries. The physiological black chaff associated with Sr2 in these lines has limited adoption. At Manhattan, Fhb1 and Sr2 were similarly brought into coupling in HRW and distributed for evaluation/breeding. This material was recycled in breeding to address late maturity, soil-borne mosaic virus susceptibility, and weak gluten. The Lincoln, NE program released PI 702949, an introgression of Fhb7The2 on 7BL into ‘Chinese Spring.’ This translocation is not associated with yellow flour pigment. The Raleigh, Manhattan, and Lincoln programs have initiated introgressions of Fhb7The2 into soft and hard winter wheat. Scientists at Lincoln also have initiated introgressions of Fhb7The2 into durum and are constructing pyramids of Fhb7The2 with Fhb1 and PI 277012 resistance in adapted germplasm. The Manhattan program also developed a hard winter wheat Ms3-facilitated recurrent selection population incorporating both exotic and regionally adapted resistance sources; release is anticipated early 2025. Collectively, these germplasm enhancement efforts are dedicated to increasing the frequency of valuable resistance alleles in the broader pool of U.S. breeding germplasm.