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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Aberdeen, Idaho » Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #304492
Title: Genome-wide association study reveals novel quantitative trait loci associated with resistance to multiple leaf spot diseases of spring wheat

Author
item GURUNG, S - University Of California
item MAMIDI, S - North Dakota State University
item Bonman, John
item XIONG, M - North Carolina State University
item Brown-Guedira, Gina
item ADHIKARI, T - North Carolina State University

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/23/2014
Publication Date: 9/30/2014
Citation: Gurung, S., Mamidi, S., Bonman, J.M., Xiong, M., Brown Guedira, G.L., Adhikari, T.B. 2014. Genome-wide association study reveals novel quantitative trait loci associated with resistance to multiple leaf spot diseases of spring wheat. PLoS One 9(9): e108179. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0108179.

Interpretive Summary: In this study, we used newly available molecular markers, called SNPs, to identify locations within the wheat genome that carry resistance to major leaf spot disease of wheat. Some of these locations appear to have resistance that has not previously been identified. This work is a first step towards using the potentially novel resistances for breeding new wheat cultivars with valuable disease resistance.

Technical Abstract: Accelerated wheat development and deployment of high-yielding, climate resilient and disease resistant cultivars can contribute to enhanced food security and sustainable intensification. To facilitate gene discovery, we assembled an association mapping panel of 528 spring wheat landraces from diverse geographic regions for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection. All of these accessions were genotyped using ~8,633 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). To identify loci underlying resistance to multiple leaf spot diseases and to better understand the genomic patterns, we quantified population structure, allelic diversity and linkage disequilibrium. Our results showed 32 classical loci were significantly associated with multiple disease resistance. Further analysis of allele diversity and frequencies within association mapping panel identified the novel alleles effective to multiple leaf spot diseases and some of these loci also were confirmed the same as detected previously by association analysis using Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT)® and bi-parental mapping approaches. In addition, the majority of the identified SNPs co-localized with the genes that have been implicated with programmed cell death and plant innate immunity. Taken together, this study provides insight into potential to select putative resistant alleles from diverse loci and pyramid them in locally adapted wheat cultivars in order to develop broad-spectrum resistance to major leaf spot diseases in wheat via marker-assisted selection (MAS).