Breeding wheat and rye for resistance to Fusarium diseases

Fusarium culmorum and F. graminearum Groups 1 and 2 cause seedling blight, crown rot, foot rot and head blight in wheat and rye that may affect grain yield and quality for baking and feeding. This review starts with an analysis of Fusarium populations with regard to their genetic variation for aggressiveness, mycotoxin production, and isolate-by-host genotype interaction. To assess resistance in the different host growth stages, quantitative inoculation and disease assessment techniques are necessary. Based on estimated population parameters, breeding strategies are reviewed to improve Fusarium resistance in wheat and rye. Epidemiological and toxicological aspects of Fusarium resistance that are important for resistance breeding are discussed. F. culmorum and F. graminearum display large genetic variation for aggressiveness in isolate collections and in naturally occurring populations. The production of mycotoxins, especially deoxynivalenol and its derivatives, is a common trait in these populations. Significant isolate-by-host genotype interactions were not found across environments in wheat and rye. Artificial infections in the field are indispensable for improving Fusarium crown rot, foot rot and head blight resistance in wheat and rye. For a reliable disease assessment of large populations, disease severity ratings were found to be the most convenient. The differentiation of host resistance is greatly influenced by an array of nongenetic factors (macro-environment, microclimate, host growth stage, host organ) that show significant interactions with host genotype. Selection for environmentally stable resistance has to be performed in several environments under a maximum array of different infection levels. Selection in early growth stages or on one plant organ does not in most cases allow prediction of resistance in adult-plant stages or another plant organ. Significant genetic variation for resistance exists for all Fusarium-incited diseases in breeding populations of wheat and rye. The patho-systems studied displayed a prevalence of additive gene action with no consistent specific combining ability effects and thus rapid progress can be expected from recurrent selection. In wheat, intensive testing of parental genotypes allows good prediction of the mean head blight resistance after crossing. Subsequent selection during selfing generations enables the use of transgression towards resistance. In hybrid breeding of winter rye, the close correlation between foot rot resistance of inbred lines and their GCA effects implies that selection based on the lines per se should be highly effective. This is not valid for F. culmorum head blight of winter rye caused by a greater susceptibility of the inbred lines compared to their crosses. For both foot rot and head blight resistance, a high correlation between the resistance to F. graminearum and F. culmorum was found in wheat and rye. Mycotoxin accumulation occurs to a great extent in naturally and artificially infected plant stands. The correlation between resistance traits and mycotoxin contents are medium and highly dependent on the environment. Further experiments are needed to clarify whether greater resistance will lead to a correlated reduction of the mycotoxin content of the grains under natural infection.     

Quantitative trait loci for resistance to Fusarium head blight in recombinant inbred wheat lines from the cross Huapei 57-2 / Patterson

Fusarium head blight (FHB), primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum in North America, often results in significant losses in yield and grain quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Evaluation of FHB resistance is laborious and can be affected by environmental conditions. The development of DNA markers associated with FHB quantitative trait loci (QTL) and their use in breeding programs could greatly enhance selection. The objective of this study was to identify the location and effect of QTLs for FHB resistance using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. A population of wheat recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross ‘Huapei57-2’/‘Patterson’ was characterized for type II resistance in one field experiment and two tests under controlled conditions in the greenhouse. Bulked segregant analysis followed by QTL mapping was used to identify the major segregating QTLs. Results indicate that ‘Huapei 57-2’ may have the same resistance allele as ‘Sumai3’ at a QTL located on the short arm of chromosome 3B. Other QTLs of lower effect size were identified on the long arm of 3Band on chromosomes 3A and 5B. Our findings along with results from other studies demonstrate that the effect of the QTL on3BS is large and consistent across a wide range of genetic backgrounds and environments. Pyramiding this QTL with other FHB QTLs using marker-assisted selection should be effective in improving FHB resistance in a wheat breeding program. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

不溶性胞壁结合酚类物质在棉花对枯萎病抗性中的作用

分析了枯萎病菌侵染后棉花叶片和根茎部组织中不溶性胞壁结合酚类物质 (胞壁结合的简单酚、复杂酚聚合物及黄酮醇 )含量的变化。结果表明 ,抗病品种棉苗中不溶性胞壁结合酚类物质含量高于感病品种 ,同一品种内根茎部组织中含量较高 ;氟乐灵播前土壤处理可诱发棉苗产生对枯萎病的诱导抗性 ,同时也促进了棉苗组织中不溶性胞壁结合酚类物质的积累 ;枯萎病菌侵染后棉苗组织中不溶性胞壁结合酚类物质含量明显增加 ,抗病品种棉苗和经氟乐灵处理的棉苗受侵后不溶性胞壁结合酚类物质含量的增加分别大于感病品种棉苗和未经氟乐灵处理棉苗中的增加水平。这些结果说明 ,不溶性胞壁结合酚类物质在棉花对枯萎病的抗性及由氟乐灵诱发的诱导抗性中起作用     

Screening of melon (Cucumis melo L.) germplasm for multiple disease resistance

Summary Melon germplasm was screened for cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca fuliginea), downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis) and Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis) resistance under artificial conditions except downy mildew for which screening was done under natural epiphytotic conditions. High level resistance to all the four diseases was not recorded in any of the collections tested. Nevertheless, ertheless, resistance to three diseases was located in three germplasm. Wild Cucumis species C. figarei exhibited absolute resistance to CGMMV and Fusarium wilt and high level resistance to downy mildew. Phoot or snapmelon (Cucumis melo var. momordica) — a non-dessert from of Indian origin—was highly resistant to downy mildew and resistant to CGMMV and medium resistant to Fusarium wilt. Iroquois was resistant to powdery mildew and medium resistant to downy mildew and CGMMV.     

Potential of a Fusarium eumartii culture filtrate on the screening for wilting resistance in potato

Summary Fusarium solani f.sp. eumartii Carp. Snyder and Hansen (Fusarium eumartii) is a soil inhabitant that induces the so-called Potato Wilt and Stem End Rot disease. Prior to wilting, the pathogen induces peculiar small bronze spots on the leaflets. Failure to isolate F. eumartii from infected leaflets suggests the involvement of a toxin in the disease. The fungus was grown in liquid Richard's medium and thereafter a filtrate was obtained dialyzing (MW cutoff 12,000–14,000) and sterilizing the culture by filtration (0.22 m). Potato leaves treated with both the pathogen or the filtrate showed symptoms of bronze spots and significantly higher electrolyte leakage when compared to controls. Tomato leaves showed neither bronze spots nor electrolyte leakage after plant inoculation with the pathogen or with the filtrate treatment. Both, the absence of visible symptoms and the lack of electrolyte leakage in tomato could be associated to a certain degree of host specificity of the F. eumartii filtrate towards potato. The filtrate also induced symptoms similar to infections by F. eumartii in adult plants and in vitro plantlets of cultivars Huinkul MAG and Kennebec. Callus responses to the filtrate were related to responses of the cultivars to the pathogen in greenhouse. These results show the potential of the culture filtrate of F. eumartii for use in screening for wilting resistance.     

QTLs for Fusarium head blight response in a wheat DH population of Wangshuibai/Alondra‘s’

Summary A doubled haploid (DH) wheat population derived from the cross Wangshuibai/Alondra‘s’ was developed through chromosome doubling of haploids generated by anther culture of hybrids. Fusarium head blight (FHB) was evaluated for three years from 2001 to 2003 in Jianyang, Fujian Province, China, where epidemics of FHB have been consistently severe. After 307 pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers were screened, 110 pairs were polymorphic between Wangshuibai and Alondra`s’, and used to construct a genetic linkage map for detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs). A stable QTL for low FHB severity was detected on chromosomes 3B over all three years, and QTLs on chromosomes 5B, 2D, and 7A were detected over two years. Additional QTLs on chromosomes 3A, 3D, 4B, 5A, 5D, 6B and 7B showed marginal significance in only one year. Six QTLs were detected when phenotypic data from three years were combined. In addition, significant additive-by-additive epistasis was detected for a QTL on 6A although its additive effect was not significant. Additive effects (A) and additive-by-additive epistasis (AA) explained a major portion of the phenotypic variation (76.5%) for FHB response. Xgwm533-3B and Xgwm335-5B were the closest markers to QTLs, and have potential to be used as selectable markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in wheat breeding programs.     

Selection parameters for resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 1 and race 4 on diploid banana (Musa acuminata Colla)

Summary Shoot tip cultures from banana clones susceptible and resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (FOC) race 1 and race 4 were grown in vitro in the presence of different concentrations of fusaric acid and fungal crude filtrates or inoculated with a conidial suspension of FOC to assess correlation between in vivo and in vitro behaviour. Explants were susceptible to both filtrate and fusaric acid irrespective to their known field resistance/susceptibility response. No clear linkage between in vivo and in vitro behaviour was observed and our results suggest that the use of crude filtrate or non-host specific toxin (fusaric acid) in a screening programme for selecting a novel resistant genotype of Musa to FOC is not feasible. When peroxidase activity was used as a parameter to discriminate between sesceptibility and tolerance, results were in good agreement with field response of host plant to pathogens. Early enzymatic activity increased in the incompatible host-pathogen interaction but not in the compatible interaction.Abbreviations IBA Indolebutyric acid - 2iP 6-dimethylallylamino-purine - VCG Vegetative Compatibility Group - FOC Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense - IEF isoelectrofocusing     

Types and components of resistance to Fusarium head blight of wheat

Resistance of wheat to Fusarium head blight caused by Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum was identified in natural epidemics in 1985 and 1987 as well after artificial inoculations (1983–1988 and 1984–1987). Out of 25 genotypes tested, five were identified with no significant difference in head blight scores, but differing significantly in yield after artificial inoculation, i.e. tolerance differences were detected at different resistance levels. Some genotypes that were similar in yield or head blight scores differed in seed infection severity. Genotypes with awns were more susceptible to head blight when tested under natural epidemic condition in the field; but this trait did not influence head blight severity in artificial inoculations. Dwarf genotypes were more severely infected by head blight than tall genotypes under natural conditions, but genotypes of different plant height classes were similarly susceptible after artificial inoculations. In the early generations of a breeding programme resistance measured by visual evaluation of artificial inoculation is the most important way to screen. If selection of dwarf and awned genotypes cannot be avoided, the higher susceptibility caused by awns and dwarfness under natural epidemic conditions can be decreased by a higher level of physiological resistance, as variability in physiological resistance is available. In later generations, traits like percentage of seed infection or tolerance can be identified by additionally measuring yield reduction. Stability of disease reaction appears to be connected with resistance level, the most resistant genotypes are the most stable, and the most susceptible ones tend to have more unstable reactions in different epidemic conditions.     

菜豆枯萎病病原菌鉴定与防治

京郊菜豆枯萎病的致病菌,经作者鉴定为尖孢镰刀菌菜豆专化型(Fusarium oQxysporum f.sp.phaseoli).在防治上,我们采用以抗病品种为主的综合防治措施,经过2年多点试验,防治效果显著(92.50—94.73%),增产明显(31.26—34.09%).     

Susceptibility of oat cultivars to groat discoloration: causes and remedies

Fungal isolations and fungicide efficacy trials were carried out to determine the possible causes of discoloration in oat groats and potential control measures. Alternaria species and Microdochium nivale were isolated from field samples, and Fusarium poae was found in glasshouse tests. Symptoms could be induced reliably in the field through the use of a mist irrigation system. The cultivar ‘Gerald’ was most resistant followed by ‘Jalna’. Cultivar ‘Image’ was most severely affected by discoloration and ‘Millennium’ was of intermediate susceptibility. None of the 28 fungicide‐timing combinations used in the field trials affected the occurrence of discoloured groats. It was concluded that the best strategy for minimizing risk of discoloured groats would be screening new cultivars or breeding material in mist‐irrigated field trials for genetically based resistance.