Application of <italic>Fhb1 </italic>gene in wheat breeding programs for the Yellow-Huai Rivers valley winter wheat zone of China

Abstract

<p id="C3"><italic>Fusarium</italic> head blight (FHB), caused by <italic>Fusarium graminearum</italic>, is an important disease that seriously threatens the safety of wheat production. Breeding progress of resistant cultivars has been limited due to absence of the resistant sources with facultative growth habit and poor screening environment in the Huang-Huai region, the main wheat producing area of China. <italic>Fhb1</italic>, as the most effective and stable gene, is the only gene widely used in the global breeding programs for improving FHB resistance of wheat. However, utilization of <italic>Fhb1</italic> in the Yellow-Huai River Valleys Winter Wheat Zone is limited so far. In this study, several excellent advanced lines with <italic>Fhb1</italic> were developed by limited backcrossing and molecular marker-assisted selection in the BC₂F₁ progenies of the susceptible variety Aikang 58 (the recurrent parent) and H35 (the donor parent of <italic>Fhb1</italic> gene). Then, the individuals were used to cross with Xumai 36 and Xumai 2023 (with high yield but susceptible to FHB), and a series of elite lines with <italic>Fhb1</italic> were developed using the doubled haploid and the traditional pedigree selection methods. Xumai DH9 and Xumai 17252 were moderate resistance to FHB in different screening environments for several years. The average resistance level of the lines with <italic>Fhb1</italic> gene was significantly higher than that of the susceptible control. The introduction of <italic>Fhb1</italic> significantly improved the resistance to FHB, but some lines were still highly susceptible, indicating that the resistance to FHB was affected by other genetic factors. This study provides an example for the use of <italic>Fhb1</italic> gene in improving FHB resistance in the Yellow-Huai River Valleys Winter Wheat Zone of China.