Poster # 511

C. O. Hale ¹, F. K. Crutcher ², X. Cai ³, J. D. Fiedler ⁴, A. C. Hogg ¹, J. M. Martin ¹, and M. J. Giroux ¹
1. Dept. of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3150.
2. Eastern Agricultural Research Center, Montana State University, Sidney, MT, 59270 USA
3. Wheat, Sorghum & Forage Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA
4. USDA-ARS, Cereal Crops Research Unit, Edward T. Schaffer Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
Corresponding Author: Mike Giroux, mgiroux@montana.edu

Caleb Hale

Montana averages 600,000 acres of durum production and ranks second in the US as a durum producer.  Late season rainfall can cause high deoxynivalenol (DON) levels caused by Fusarium head blight (FHB) in harvested grain resulting in it being rejected at the grain elevator. To address FHB concern in Montana we have acquired durum lines from our collaborator, Dr. Xiwen Cai, with Fhb1, Fhb5, and non-Fhb sources of resistance integrated from hexaploid wheat [1]. Populations were developed from crosses with these lines and tested for FHB resistance.  Additionally, Dr. Cai worked with us to move FHB7^The2 resistance sources into Montana adapted line MTD18348.  Additional crosses will be made to combine all available forms of resistance in new breeding populations.  The introgression of FHB7^The2 into bread wheat and durum wheat from Thinopyrom ponticum has been shown to greatly reduce disease severity and DON accumulation [2,3].  We conducted field-based screening for FHB resistance in 2024 at the MSU Eastern Agricultural Research Center (EARC, Sidney, MT) which is in the center of the most important region for durum production in Montana. EARC is located is on the border of North Dakota which has the highest durum production of any state, making this area the most relevant for testing FHB Resistant Durum. The development and release of FHB resistant lines will substantially decrease yield losses due to FHB and reduce DON levels in MT grown durum.