Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Cereal Disease Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #172972
Title: EVALUATION OF SPRING WHEAT GERMPLASM FOR FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT RESISTANCE

Author
item ZHANG, X - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Jin, Yue

Submitted to: National Fusarium Head Blight Forum
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2004
Publication Date: 12/1/2004
Citation: Zhang, X., Jin, Y. 2004. Evaluation of spring wheat germplasm for fusarium head blight resistance. National Fusarium Head Blight Forum Proceedings. p. 238-241.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Success of breeding for resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) relies on the availability of a diversified and well-characterized resistant germplasm pool. Evaluation of the spring wheat germplasm collections deposited in the USDA National Small Grains Collection has enabled us to identify diverse sources of putative FHB resistance in the past several years. This report summarizes a part of the germplasm evaluated in the 2003 season, and results of elite selections evaluated at multiple locations in the past three years. We continued to utilize a germplasm evaluation system that was developed and deployed in the previous years. The field nursery was inoculated with colonized corn kernels at jointing stage. Row-plots were tagged at anthesis and inoculated with conidial suspension twice, three days apart. Mist-irrigation was used to maintain adequate moisture. This system ensures repeated evaluations of germplasm under relatively high disease pressure. Elite selections were entered into the Uniform Regional Scab Nursery (URSN) for spring wheat, allowing researchers to evaluate the materials in their own environments and to access and utilize the germplasm. In 2003, field evaluations of PSN and EGN were conducted in Brookings, SD. Persistent high temperature encountered during the evaluation period in the field season caused considerable grain damage, excessive kernel discoloration in particular. A summary of elite selections from this germplasm screening system that were evaluated in the uniform regional nursery in the spring wheat region is presented. These selections performed equivalent to, or better than, the means of the nursery averaged over 5 to 6 locations.