FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT RESEARCH IN WINTER WHEAT

Project Title 1 - Accelerating the Development of Scab Resistant Soft Red Winter Wheat: The objectives of this proposal are aimed at further identification of potentially novel sources of resistance as well as pyramiding known sources into our genetic backgrounds that will ensure FHB resistant varieties well into the future. These objectives which are both specific to our program and collaborative across the region include: designing crosses that include FHB-resistant parents with native and/or Chinese sources of resistance, systematically screening all lines developed at the University of Missouri from preliminary yield testing (first test out of head row) and verification of FHB resistance through years of advanced yield testing, evaluating and sharing highly resistant lines with other USWBSI researchers through the U.S. Scab Nursery system, growing and evaluating others¿ material in both the Northern (Preliminary and Advanced) and Southern Scab Nurseries, screening commercial entries in the Missouri Winter Wheat Performance Nursery and disseminating that information to growers through the annual variety test book and through talks at field days focusing on the variety trials and haplotyping with all known FHB markers promising lines in the Missouri breeding program to aid in the identification of potentially unique sources of resistance. Project Title 2 - Mapping Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Truman Wheat: The objectives for this research are: To identify QTL associated with types I and II resistances as well as low DON and kernel quality retention under FHB disease pressure in a set of 239 F8 recombinant inbred lines developed from the cross Truman/MO 94-317.