Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #355200
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Nutritional Quality in Hard Winter Wheat

Location: Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research

Title: Effects of TaPHS1 and TaMKK3-A genes on wheat PHS resistance

Author
item LIN, MENG - Kansas State University
item LIU, SHUBING - Kansas State University
item ZHANG, GUORONG - Kansas State University
item Bai, Guihua

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/28/2018
Publication Date: 9/30/2018
Citation: Lin, M., Liu, S., Zhang, G., Bai, G. 2018. Effects of TaPHS1 and TaMKK3-A genes on wheat PHS resistance. Molecular Breeding. 8(10):210. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8100210.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8100210

Interpretive Summary: Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) significantly reduces both wheat grain yield and end-use quality when excessive rainy weather occurs prior to harvest. To date, two genes for PHS resistance have been cloned in wheat, TaPHS1 on chromosome 3AS and TaMKK3-A on chromosome 4AL. The current study investigated their individual and combined effects on reducing PHS. The two genes were crossed singly and in combination into a PHS-susceptible hard white winter wheat line. Both genes individually had a significant effect on reducing PHS. A strong additive effect between the two genes showed that combining them can increase PHS resistance in future commercial wheat cultivars.

Technical Abstract: Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) constrains wheat production worldwide by reducing both wheat grain yield and end-use quality. TaPHS1 on wheat chromosome 3AS and TaMKK3-A on chromosome 4AL are two cloned genes with major effects on PHS resistance, and they are independent from grain color (GC). In this study, we used marker-assisted backcrossing (MAB) to introgress TaPHS1 and TaMKK3-A from two PHS resistant sources, ‘Tutoumai A’ and AUS1408, into a sprouting-susceptible white wheat line, NW97S186. Progeny were tested in four environments to investigate individual and combined effects of those two genes. TaPHS1 significantly reduced PHS, and its effect on PHS varied with environment and gene source. In contrast, the TaMKK3-A gene also significantly reduced PHS, but its effectiveness was influenced by environments. The two genes had additive effects on PHS resistance, indicating pyramiding those two QTLs could increase PHS resistance. The additive effects were greater in a mild environment, such as a greenhouse, than in a dry and hot environment during maturation.