Abstract
BackgroundAncestral wheat relatives are important sources of genetic diversity for the introduction of novel traits for the improvement of modern bread wheat. In this study the aim was to assess the susceptibility of 34 accessions of the diploid wheat Triticum monococcum (A genome) to Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt), the causal agent of take-all disease. The second aim was to explore the susceptibility of tetraploid wheat (T. durum) and the B genome progenitor species Aegilops speltoides to Ggt.ResultsField trials, conducted over 5 years, identified seven T. monococcum accessions with a good level of resistance to take-all when exposed to natural inoculum under UK field conditions. All other accessions were highly susceptible or did not exhibit a consistent phenotype across years. DArT marker genotyping revealed that whole genome diversity was not closely related to resistance to take-all within T. monococcum, suggesting that multiple genetic sources of resistance may exist within the species. In contrast the tetraploid wheat cultivars and Ae. speltoides were all highly susceptible to the disease, including those with known elevated levels of benzoxazinoids.ConclusionsThe diploid wheat species T. monococcum may provide a genetic source of resistance to take-all disease that could be utilised to improve the performance of T. aestivum in high disease risk situations. This represents an extremely valuable resource to achieve economic and sustainable genetic control of this root disease.
Highlights
IntroductionIn this study the aim was to assess the susceptibility of 34 accessions of the diploid wheat Triticum monococcum (A genome) to Gaeumannomyces graminis var
Susceptibility of T. monococcum to take-all under field conditions In the 2005–2006 field season the initial screen of 27 T. monococcum accessions revealed a range of susceptibilities to take-all within this diploid wheat species (Figure 1; P < 0.01)
Some of the T. monococcum accessions were retested in field trials from 2008–2011 and new T. monococcum accessions included based on seed availability and results from a limited number of take-all seedling pot tests (RJG, unpublished data)
Summary
In this study the aim was to assess the susceptibility of 34 accessions of the diploid wheat Triticum monococcum (A genome) to Gaeumannomyces graminis var. The second aim was to explore the susceptibility of tetraploid wheat (T. durum) and the B genome progenitor species Aegilops speltoides to Ggt. Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the most extensively grown domesticated wheat species and one of the four major food crops of the world. Tritici (Ggt), causes a devastating root disease of wheat called take-all. Rically, there is an extensive volume of literature on the search for resistance to take-all disease within elite hexaploid bread wheat cultivars [2,3]. Genetic resources that have proved valuable for the improvement of wheat have included elite cultivars, landraces and ancestral wild relatives [6]
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