Agronomic and quality impact of a shortened translocation for Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus resistance

Authors: Guttieri, Mary; Bowden, Robert; ZHANG, GUORONG - Kansas State University; HALEY, SCOTT - Colorado State University; FRELS, KATHERINE - University Of Nebraska; HEIN, GARY - University Of Nebraska; Jordan, Katherine

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/9/2022
Publication Date: 11/2/2022
Citation: Guttieri, M.J., Bowden, R.L., Zhang, G., Haley, S., Frels, K., Hein, G., Jordan, K. 2022. Agronomic and quality impact of a shortened translocation for Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus resistance. Crop Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20876.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20876

Interpretive Summary: Wheat streak mosaic virus is a potentially devastating disease of wheat in the Great Plains of the United States. Several sources of resistance have been introduced into wheat from its wild relatives. One of the resistance genes, Wsm1, was originally introduced on a large chromosome arm translocation from intermediate wheatgrass. While it conferred economically valuable resistance to virus, this large translocation was detrimental to wheat yield in the absence of the virus. A shortened form of this translocation was made available for breeding, and this study reports the impact of the short translocation on the agronomic performance and quality of wheat. We found that the short translocation did not affect heading date, but did reduce plant height. Wheat lines with the short translocation had higher grain yield in those trial sites in which highly significant differences were detected. The short translocation did not affect grain test weight, protein concentration, or gluten quality. This study also identified new, efficient DNA-based markers to detect the short translocation in breeding programs. The results of this study indicate that wheat breeding programs can effectively and efficiently use this short translocation to improve virus resistance.

Technical Abstract: Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) has substantial economic impact on winter wheat production on the Great Plains of the United States. One of the effective sources of resistance to WSMV, Wsm1, is carried on a translocation from Thinopyrum intermedium. The earliest, long form of this translocation (T4DL·4JsS) provided highly effective resistance to WSMV, but at a cost of a substantial yield penalty in the absence of the virus. Shorter recombinants of this Th. intermedium translocation are now available to breeders. This study characterized the agronomic performance of near-isogenic sib-pair families in ten yield trials using one of these shortened T4DL·4DS-4JsS translocations, named ‘rec213,’ in the absence of visible disease. We observed a modest reduction (< 5 cm) in plant height, no effect on heading date, and a favorable effect (= 12.6%) on grain yield in those environments where highly significant genotype effects were detected. The rec213 translocation did not affect either grain protein concentration or lactic acid-sodium dodecyl sulfate solvent retention capacity, a measure of gluten quality. However, families with the translocation had slightly (= 5%) lower protein quality score than families without the translocation. Therefore breeders will need to work within high quality genetic backgrounds when using the rec213 translocation. Improved, codominant PCR-based marker assays were developed to facilitate the use of the rec213 Wsm1 trait in breeding programs.