2007 U of M Research Special Report

Characterizing New Source of FHB Resistance from Australia

USDA-ARS wheat geneticist David Garvin and U of M plant pathologist Ruth Dill-Macky are characterizing a new source of FHB resistance in wheat that comes from a geographic region where one might least expect to find it - Australia.

FHB is not a serious disease on wheat in Australia, and thus selection for resistance to FHB has not been a focus of wheat breeding programs there. Several years ago, Garvin found that an Australian wheat line he was using for research on acid soils tolerance appeared to exhibit high levels of FHB resistance.  Since then, he and Dill-Macky have collaborated on research into the FHB resistance of this wheat line. 

First, Dill-Macky’s program confirmed the FHB resistance of this wheat line.  Indeed, in greenhouse studies the line being investigated exhibits FHB resistance that can approach that found in Alsen.  Garvin found that neither pedigree information nor molecular marker data pointed to a likely origin of the FHB resistance present in this line, and thus the two researchers believe that the resistance may be different than that found in Chinese germplasm such as Sumai 3.

They are now completing genetic studies of FHB resistance in this line, and are undertaking prebreeding research to introduce the resistance into hard red spring wheat.  Ultimately, they hope that this Australian wheat line will provide additional FHB resistance genes that hard red spring wheat breeding programs can employ to further protect this crop against FHB.

USDA-ARS wheat geneticist Dr. David Garvin (garvi007@umn.edu) works in cooperation with U of M crop scientists