Genomic Approaches Towards Durable Fungal Disease Resistance in Wheat

Abstract

In the last years there has been enormous progress in the molecular understanding of fungal disease resistance in plants. Research on effector-based immunity which is mediated by major resistance (R) genes has been greatly stimulated by the molecular isolation of plant resistance genes as well as the first fungal effectors. In addition, the first genes underlying QTLs or partial disease resistance have been cloned. However, much of this work is still in a phase of basic research and there is a need for translational approaches to realize the globally needed improvements of disease resistance in wheat. In particular, it is essential that future strategies are aiming at achieving durable resistance against pathogens. Durable resistance has been defined by Johnson (Genetic background of durable resistance. In: Lamberti F, Waller JM, Van der Graaff NA (eds) Durable resistance in crops. Plenum, New York, pp 5–24, 1983) as a resistance which remains effective in cultivars that are widely grown for long periods and in environments favorable to the disease. In this article we will discuss different molecular strategies towards achieving durable disease resistance in wheat. In particular, our group focuses on the Pm3 allelic series of race-specific powdery mildew R genes and the Lr34/Yr18/Pm38/Sr57 race non-specific multi-pathogen resistance gene.