IFA - INTERUNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, TULLN
Department of Biotechnology in Plant Production, Konrad Lorenz Str. 20, A-3430 Tulln, Austria.
www.ifa-tlln.ac.at
H. Buerstmayr, M. Lemmens, U. Scholz, and P. Ruckenbauer.
Uwe Scholz joined the IFA team on 1 January, 2002. He previously was working with B. Steffenson on FHB of barley at NDSU.
A new, EU-funded research project began in September 2001 and will continue until August 2005. Eight participants from six states are contributing. The objectives will apply a multidisciplinary approach involving plant pathology, plant breeding, molecular genetics, genomics, and in vitro methods. The overall methodology will involve field and laboratory testing of diverse wheat genotypes and segregating populations for components of FHB resistance, artificial-inoculation methods, molecular-genetic identification, characterization of resistance genes, studies of the host-pathogen interaction for the identification of resistance mechanisms, mycotoxin analyses, and in vitro-selection methods.
The work plan is divided into three workpackages:
Workpackage 1: Phenotyping of FHB resistance and its components
in wheat. FHB resistance and its components, including resistance
to trichothecene mycotoxins of the plant material used in the
study, will be evaluated in replicated, multilocation experiments.
Workpackage 2: Molecular genetic characterization of FHB
resistance in wheat. Three different mapping populations will
be used, and two populations for fine mapping will be developed.
Additionally, genetic diversity of 96 European and other genotypes
with varying degrees of FHB resistance will be elucidated using
SSR and candidate-gene markers.
Workpackage 3: In vitro selection methods and candidate resistance genes for FHB in wheat. Candidate genes putatively involved in trichothecene resistance will be cloned from wheat, analyzed, and their function in FHB resistance verified by mapping.
H. Buerstmayr, B. Steiner, and M. Mardi.
This project is a cooperation with the Agricultural Biotechnology Institute and the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute of Iran.
Two Ph.D. students, Mr. Mohsen Mardi from the University of Teheran and Mrs. Barbara Steiner from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Vienna, are working on FHB-resistance mapping and marker verification. The mapping populations are based on the resistance genes in Wangshiubai, Frontana, and Sumai 3. The mapping is using mainly AFLP and SSR markers. A LI-COR DNA analyzer is used for fragment analysis.
H. Buerstmayr, M. Stierschneider, B. Steiner, M. Lemmens, and M. Griesser; and E. Nevo and T. Fahima (Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel).
In a joint project with the Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel, wild emmer wheat, previously identified as a rich source for disease resistance genes to several pathogens, was tested for resistance to FHB. Artificial, single-point inoculations were used to evaluate a set of 151 T. dicoccoides genotypes from 16 habitats in Israel and one habitat in Turkey for resistance to fungal spread (type-II resistance) in replicated greenhouse experiments. A considerable level of diversity was found among the tested genotypes. The broad-sense heritability for type-II, FHB resistance was 0.71. Among the eight T. dicoccoides lines with the lowest relative infection rates, five were from a Mt. Gerizim population, and three were from the Mt. Hermon population. These two habitats are characterized by a relatively cool, semi-wet climate. Thus, it may be possible that Fusarium occurrence in these habitats was responsible for natural selection favoring resistance.