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Title: DISCOVERY AND DEPLOYMENT OF MOLECULAR MARKERS LINKED TO FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT RESISTANCE: AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR WHEAT AND BARLEY

Author
item VAN SANFORD, D - UNIV OF KENTUCKY
item ANDERSON, JAMES - UNIV OF MINNESOTA
item COSTA, JOSE - UNIV OF MARYLAND
item Cregan, Perry
item GRIFFEY, CARL - VIRGINIA TECH UNIV
item HAYES, PATRICK - OREGON STATE UNIV
item WARD, RICHARD - MICHIGAN STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/12/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease that reduces yield, quality and economic value of wheat and barley. Plant breeding, including the use of molecular marker assisted selection, can provide varieties that are more resistant to the disease. The use of molecular makers in breeding programs will be facilitated through the establishment of genotyping laboratories. Their primary responsibility would be to identify and deploy breeder-friendly markers linked to FHB resistance in wheat. High throughput marker systems would be used to genotype plants in breeding populations submitted by plant breeders. A further objective will be the development of new technologies and bio-informatics systems to enhance plant breeding efforts.

Technical Abstract: Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease that reduces yield, quality and economic value of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The quantitative nature of resistance and expense of phenotypic screening indicate that the identification of resistant genotypes in breeding populations might be expedited by molecular markers. Worldwide, several groups are mapping genes for FHB resistance in wheat and barley and marker discovery is underway. To take advantage of economies of scale and accelerate information sharing, we propose the establishment of a National Genotyping Center (NGC) for barley and wheat. The immediate objective of the NGC would be to identify and deploy breeder-friendly markers linked to FHB resistance quantitative trait loci (QTL). Over time, we propose that several regional genotyping centers will be established to correspond to regional and market class needs. The NGC would provide the regional centers with high throughput marker systems that would be used to genotype plants in breeding populations submitted by plant breeders. For the long term we expect that the focus of the NGC will extend beyond FHB resistance, and that a key objective will be the development of new technologies to enhance plant breeding efforts.