Fusarium head blight resistance in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum)-Lophopyrum genetic lines and tagging of the alien chromatin by PCR markers.

The objective of this research was to identify Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance in wheat ( Triticum aestivum)- Lophopyrum genetic lines that might complement FHB resistance in common wheat; and to identify DNA markers that can be used to tag the resistance gene in the alien chromatin (E or el(2) genome) for the development of improved wheat cultivars. FHB resistance was evaluated in 19 Chinese Spring- Lophopyrum elongatum (EE) substitution lines, two Thatcher -L. ponticum (el(1) and el(2)) substitution lines, and four Thatcher- L. ponticum translocation lines. Significant resistance was identified in the substitution lines 7E(7A), 7E(7B), and 7E(7D). The homoeologous chromosome, 7el(2),()also showed resistance in the Thatcher genetic background. Both the Thatcher-7el(1) substitution and translocation lines were susceptible, like Thatcher, indicating that there is no resistance gene on the 7el(1) chromosome. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS) in homoeologous group 7 chromosomes were used to identify DNA markers located on 7E and 7el(2). As expected, the transferability of wheat SSR markers to Lophopyrum is low. Of the 52 SSR markers that we tested, only five were found to be co-dominant on 7E of L. elongatum versus 7A, 7B, and 7D, one of which is also positive on 7el(2). A CAPS marker, derived from the RFLP probe PSR129, can serve as a dominant marker for 7el(2) chromatin.