Stacking Fhb1, photoperiod/anthesis and plant height genes in elite winter wheat lines

Wheat is a major staple food crop. Winter wheat has higher yield potential than spring wheat. Fusarium head blight (FHB), mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum is one of the major diseases of wheat. FHB related traits (visual symptoms, fusarium damaged kernels-FDK and deoxynivalenol-DON) are influenced by multiple genes or quantitative trait loci (QTL) with small to medium effect. Significant negative correlations between FHB index and plant height were reported across different wheat populations. Over 70% of grown wheat have a semi dwarf phenotype controlled by the major genes Rht-B1, Rht-D1 and Rht-8C. These dwarfing alleles can increase FHB susceptibility as much as 30%. An improved understanding of FHB resistance and new germplasm/cultivars from this proposed project will reduce the risks associated with FHB in wheat for Ontario’s grain farmers and will inform next steps for future research investments by GFO.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ljiljana Tamburic-Ilincic

Student:

Partner:

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Guelph

Program: