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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #352254
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Nutritional Quality in Hard Winter Wheat

Location: Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research

Title: Increasing temperature reduces wheat resistance mediated by major resistance genes to the gall midge Mayetiola destructor (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Author
item TANG, GUOWEN - Yunnan Agricultural University
item LIU, XUMING - Kansas State University
item CHEN, GUO-HUA - Yunnan Agricultural University
item WHITWORTH, R. JEFF - Kansas State University
item Chen, Ming-Shun

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/2018
Publication Date: 3/16/2018
Citation: Tang, G., Liu, X., Chen, G., Whitworth, R., Chen, M. 2018. Increasing temperature reduces wheat resistance mediated by major resistance genes to the gall midge Mayetiola destructor (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Journal of Economic Entomology. 111(3):1433-1438. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toy048.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toy048

Interpretive Summary: The Hessian fly is one of the most destructive pests of wheat. Host plant resistance is one of the major control measure for this insect pest. However, the effectiveness of plant resistance mediated by major resistance genes is sensitive to temperature, namely, resistance in wheat is lost above a certain temperature. This study examined the temperature sensitivity of wheat cultivars containing 20 different resistance genes. Cultivars with different resistance genes exhibited different sensitivity, with cultivars carrying H15, H26, and H32 exhibiting the most temperature resistance, whereas cultivars containing H17, H18, and H19 the most temperature sensitive. We also found that genetic background in addition the major resistance genes did affect temperature sensitivity of a cultivar as well. Our results should provide very useful information for breeders to choose which resistance genes to be incorporated into their breeding lines based on historic temperatures in their regions.

Technical Abstract: Mayetiola destructor (Say) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a destructive pest of wheat and is mainly controlled by deploying resistant cultivars. Unfortunately, wheat resistance to Hessian fly is often lost when temperatures rise to a certain level. This study analyzed temperature sensitivity of 20 wheat cultivars that contain different resistance (R)genes. The lowest temperatures at which the percentage of resistant plants fell below 50% in an assay were 18°C for ‘D6647 H17’ (921680D1–7) (containing the R gene H17), 20°C for ‘Redland’ (H18), 22°C for ‘84702B14-1-3-4-3’ (H19), 24°C for ‘Carol’ (H3) and ‘Sincape90’ (H29), 26°C for ‘Erin’ (H5), ‘Jori 13’ (H20), and ‘PI59190’ (H28), 28°C for ‘Joy’ (H10), ‘KS99WGRC42’ (Hdic), ‘Karen’ (H11), ‘Caldwell’ (H6), and ‘Seneca’ (H7H8), 30°C for ‘KS85WGRC01’ (H22) and ‘KS92WGRC20’ (H25), 32°C for ‘Molly’ (H13), and 34°C for ‘Iris’ (H9). The three cultivars ‘H32 Synthetic’ (H32),‘81602C5-3-3-8-1’ (H15), and ‘KS93WGRC26’ (H26) exhibited the most resistance to temperature increases. The percentages of resistant plants remained above 50% at 36°C for these three cultivars, the highest temperature that can be tested without significantly damaging wheat plant growth. The temperature sensitivity of R gene-mediated fly resistance is also strongly affected by genetic background of wheat cultivars that contain a specific R gene. Our data should provide useful information for breeding wheat resistance to control Hessian fly damage in different regions based on historic temperature data.