Location: Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research
Project Number: 3020-21000-012-014-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: Aug 31, 2026
Objective:
1. Advance Fhb7 EMS mutant population to obtain homozygous mutants
2. Phenotype the population for both Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance and flour color to identify FHB resistant lines with white flour
3. Sequence the mutants to identify mutation in the yellow flour color gene linked to Fhb7
4. Transfer the Fhb7 gene with white flour into hard winter wheat backgrounds for breeding
Approach:
1. Advance 2000 mutant lines of Chinese Spring-Fhb7 derived from EMS mutation in greenhouses to M4 generation to obtain homozygous mutant lines.
2. About 1 gram of seeds from each mutant will be ground and analyzed for flour color by comparison of the tested line samples with Chinese Spring as control. Identified white flour mutants will be planted in greenhouses and inoculated with Fusarium graminearum using point inoculation. About 15 plants per line will be planted with 5 plants per pot for FHB screening. After inoculation, inoculated plants will be kept in a moist chamber for 48 hours to initiate infection and then the plants will be moved to greenhouse bench for disease development. After 15 days of inoculation, percentage of symptomatic spikelets will be recorded for both mutants and Fhb7 control.
3. The selected plants with FHB resistance (Fhb7) and white flour will be sequenced for the flour color gene to identify the mutated sequence.
4. The selected mutant will be used as the parent to cross to a hard winter wheat derived Fhb1 line to transfer Fhb7 to US hard winter wheat for breeding.
