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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Aberdeen, Idaho » Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #407803
Research Project: Enhancing Barley and Oat Productivity, Quality, and Stress Resistance

Location: Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research

Title: Quantitative trait locus analysis of Hessian fly resistance in soft red winter wheat

Author
item BAGWELL, JOHN - Agriculture University Of Georgia
item SUBEDI, MADHAV - Agriculture University Of Georgia
item Sapkota, Suraj
item LOPEZ, BENJAMIN - Agriculture University Of Georgia
item GHIMIRE, BIKASH - Agriculture University Of Georgia
item CHEN, ZHENBANG - Agriculture University Of Georgia
item BUNTIN, DAVID - Agriculture University Of Georgia
item BAHRI, BOCHRA - Agriculture University Of Georgia
item MERGOUM, MOHAMED - Agriculture University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Genes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/14/2023
Publication Date: 9/17/2023
Citation: Bagwell, J.W., Subedi, M., Sapkota, S., Lopez, B., Ghimire, B., Chen, Z., Buntin, D., Bahri, B.A., Mergoum, M. 2023. Quantitative trait locus analysis of Hessian fly resistance in soft red winter wheat. Genes. 14(9), 1812. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14091812.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14091812

Interpretive Summary: Hessian fly (HF) is one of the oldest recorded invasive species in North America and it can cause economic damage wherever wheat is grown. HF infestation usually lowers yield more than quality and if over five percent of tillers are infested during the early tiller stage, yield loss can be considered significant. UGA 111729 (HF resistant) and AGS 2038 (HF susceptible) are both elite breeding lines developed by the University of Georgia Small Grains Breeding Program. These two lines were crossed and a recombinant inbred line population consisting of 225 lines was developed. This population was phenotyped for HF resistance in the growth chamber and field conditions and genotyped using Illumina 90K SNP arrays. Linkage mapping identified a major quantitative trail loci (QTL), QHf.ga.srww.3DL, on chromosome 3D, and it colocalized with previously identified HF resistance gene HF32. In addition, three other minor effect QTL were detected on 3A and 6B chromosomes for HF resistance. A SNP marker, IWB65911, linked to major effect QTL was validated and should be useful for marker-assisted selection for HF resistance.

Technical Abstract: The Hessian fly (HF) is an invasive insect that has caused millions of dollars in yield losses to southeastern US wheat farms. Genetic resistance is the most sustainable solution to control HF. However, emerging biotypes are quickly overcoming resistance genes in the southeast; therefore, identifying novel sources of resistance is critical. The resistant line “UGA 111729” and susceptible variety “AGS 2038” were crossbred to generate a population of 225 recombinant inbred lines. This population was phenotyped in the growth chamber (GC) during 2019 and 2021 and in field (F) trials in Georgia during the 2021–2022 growing seasons. Visual scoring was utilized in GC studies. The percentage of infested tillers, number of pupae/larvae per tiller, and infested tiller per sample were measured in studies from 2021 to 2022. Averaging across all traits, a major QTL on chromosome 3D explained 42.27% (GC) and 10.43% (F) phenotypic variance within 9.86 centimorgans (cM). SNP marker IWB65911 was associated with the quantitative trait locus (QTL) peak with logarithm of odds (LOD) values of 14.98 (F) and 62.22 (GC). IWB65911 colocalized with resistance gene H32. KASP marker validation verified that UGA 111729 and KS89WGRC06 express H32. IWB65911 may be used for marker-assisted selection.