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Wang X, Yu Z, Wang H, Li J, Han R, Xu W, Li G, Guo J, Zi Y, Li F, Cheng D, Liu A, Li H, Yang Z, Liu J, Liu C. Characterization, Identification and Evaluation of Wheat- Aegilops sharonensis Chromosome Derivatives. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:708551. [PMID: 34381484 PMCID: PMC8350781 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.708551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Aegilops sharonensis, a wild relative of wheat, harbors diverse disease and insect resistance genes, making it a potentially excellent gene source for wheat improvement. In this study, we characterized and evaluated six wheat-A. sharonensis derivatives, which included three disomic additions, one disomic substitution + monotelosomic addition and two disomic substitution + disomic additions. A total of 51 PLUG markers were developed and used to allocate the A. sharonensis chromosomes in each of the six derivatives to Triticeae homoeologous groups. A set of cytogenetic markers specific for A. sharonensis chromosomes was established based on FISH using oligonucleotides as probes. Molecular cytogenetic marker analysis confirmed that these lines were a CS-A. sharonensis 2Ssh disomic addition, a 4Ssh disomic addition, a 4Ssh (4D) substitution + 5SshL monotelosomic addition, a 6Ssh disomic addition, a 4Ssh (4D) substitution + 6Ssh disomic addition and a 4Ssh (4D) substitution + 7Ssh disomic addition line, respectively. Disease resistance investigations showed that chromosome 7Ssh of A. sharonensis might harbor a new powdery mildew resistance gene, and therefore it has potential for use as resistance source for wheat breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolu Wang
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Zhihui Yu
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Hongjin Wang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianbo Li
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Ran Han
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Wenjing Xu
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Guangrong Li
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jun Guo
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Yan Zi
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Faji Li
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Dungong Cheng
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Aifeng Liu
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Haosheng Li
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Zujun Yang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianjun Liu
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in the North Huang and Huai River Valley, Ministry of Agriculture, Jinan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Wheat and Maize, Jinan, China
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Ghimire B, Sapkota S, Bahri BA, Martinez-Espinoza AD, Buck JW, Mergoum M. Fusarium Head Blight and Rust Diseases in Soft Red Winter Wheat in the Southeast United States: State of the Art, Challenges and Future Perspective for Breeding. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:1080. [PMID: 32765563 PMCID: PMC7378807 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Among the biotic constraints to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production, fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, leaf rust (LR), caused by Puccinia triticina, and stripe rust (SR) caused by Puccinia striiformis are problematic fungal diseases worldwide. Each can significantly reduce grain yield while FHB causes additional food and feed safety concerns due to mycotoxin contamination of grain. Genetic resistance is the most effective and sustainable approach for managing wheat diseases. In the past 20 years, over 500 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) conferring small to moderate effects for the different FHB resistance types have been reported in wheat. Similarly, 79 Lr-genes and more than 200 QTLs and 82 Yr-genes and 140 QTLs have been reported for seedling and adult plant LR and SR resistance, respectively. Most QTLs conferring rust resistance are race-specific generally conforming to a classical gene-for-gene interaction while resistance to FHB exhibits complex polygenic inheritance with several genetic loci contributing to one resistance type. Identification and deployment of additional genes/QTLs associated with FHB and rust resistance can expedite wheat breeding through marker-assisted and/or genomic selection to combine small-effect QTL in the gene pool. LR disease has been present in the southeast United States for decades while SR and FHB have become increasingly problematic in the past 20 years, with FHB arguably due to increased corn acreage in the region. Currently, QTLs on chromosome 1B from Jamestown, 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2D, 4A, 5A, and 6A from W14, Ning7840, Ernie, Bess, Massey, NC-Neuse, and Truman, and 3B (Fhb1) from Sumai 3 for FHB resistance, Lr9, Lr10, Lr18, Lr24, Lr37, LrA2K, and Lr2K38 genes for LR resistance, and Yr17 and YrR61 for SR resistance have been extensively deployed in southeast wheat breeding programs. This review aims to disclose the current status of FHB, LR, and SR diseases, summarize the genetics of resistance and breeding efforts for the deployment of FHB and rust resistance QTL on soft red winter wheat cultivars, and present breeding strategies to achieve sustainable management of these diseases in the southeast US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bikash Ghimire
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA, United States
| | - Suraj Sapkota
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA, United States
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics, University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA, United States
| | - Bochra A. Bahri
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA, United States
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics, University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA, United States
| | | | - James W. Buck
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA, United States
| | - Mohamed Mergoum
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics, University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA, United States
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Griffin Campus, Griffin, GA, United States
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Olivera PD, Rouse MN, Jin Y. Identification of New Sources of Resistance to Wheat Stem Rust in Aegilops spp. in the Tertiary Genepool of Wheat. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1719. [PMID: 30524466 PMCID: PMC6262079 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Recent stem rust epidemics in eastern Africa and elsewhere demonstrated that wheat stem rust is a re-emerging disease posing a threat to wheat production worldwide. The cultivated wheat gene pool has a narrow genetic base for resistance to virulent races, such as races in the Ug99 race group. Wild relatives of wheat are a tractable source of stem rust resistance genes. Aegilops species in the tertiary genepool have not been exploited to any great extent as a source of stem rust resistance. We evaluated 1,422 accessions of Aegilops spp. for resistance to three highly virulent races (TTKSK, TRTTF, and TTTTF) of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici. Species studied include Ae. biuncialis, Ae. caudata, Ae. comosa, Ae. cylindrica, Ae. geniculata, Ae. neglecta, Ae. peregrina, Ae. triuncialis, and Ae. umbellulata that do not share common genomes with cultivated wheat. High frequencies of resistance were observed as 977 (68.8%), 927 (65.2%), and 850 (59.8%) accessions exhibited low infection types to races TTKSK, TTTTF, and TRTTF, respectively. Contingency table analyses showed strong association for resistance to different races in several Aegilops spp., indicating that for a given species, the resistance genes effective against multiple races. Inheritance studies in selected accessions showed that resistance to race TTKSK is simply inherited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo D. Olivera
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Matthew N. Rouse
- Cereal Disease Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Yue Jin
- Cereal Disease Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, St. Paul, MN, United States
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Kielsmeier-Cook J, Danilova TV, Friebe B, Rouse MN. Resistance to the Ug99 Race Group of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici in Wheat-Intra/intergeneric Hybrid Derivatives. PLANT DISEASE 2015; 99:1317-1325. [PMID: 30690994 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-09-14-0922-re] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
New races of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, the causal agent of stem rust, threaten global wheat production. In particular, races belonging to the Ug99 race group significantly contribute to yield loss in several African nations. Genetic resistance remains the most effective means of controlling this disease. A collection of 546 wheat-intra- and intergeneric hybrids developed by W. J. Sando (United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD) was screened with eight races of P. graminis f. sp. tritici, including races TTKSK, TTKST, TTTSK, TRTTF, TTTTF, TPMKC, RKQQC, and QTHJC. There were 152 accessions resistant to one or more races and 29 accessions resistant to TTKSK, TTKST, and TTTSK. Of these 29 accessions, 9 were resistant to all races, 14 had infection type patterns that were indistinguishable from cultivars possessing Sr9h and Sr42, 2 were indistinguishable from accessions with SrTmp, and 4 did not display resistant patterns of accessions with any known Sr gene. Three accessions (604981, 605286, and 611932) characterized cytogenetically were disomic substitution lines, each with a single Thinopyrum ponticum chromosome pair. One accession (606057) was a disomic substitution or addition line with two pairs of T. ponticum chromosomes. In total, seven accessions are postulated to contain novel stem rust resistance genes. This research indicates the value of extant collections of wheat-intergeneric hybrids as sources of disease resistance genes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tatiana V Danilova
- Wheat Genetics Resource Center, Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506
| | - Bernd Friebe
- Wheat Genetics Resource Center, Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506
| | - Matthew N Rouse
- Cereal Disease Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, St. Paul, MN and Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
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Scott JC, Manisterski J, Sela H, Ben-Yehuda P, Steffenson BJ. Resistance of Aegilops Species from Israel to Widely Virulent African and Israeli Races of the Wheat Stem Rust Pathogen. PLANT DISEASE 2014; 98:1309-1320. [PMID: 30703930 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-01-14-0062-re] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Widely virulent races of the stem rust pathogen (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) such as those isolated from Africa (e.g., TTKSK, isolate synonym Ug99) threaten wheat production worldwide. To identify Aegilops accessions with effective resistance to such virulent stem rust races, up to 10 different species from Israel were evaluated against African races TTKSK, TTKST, and TTTSK and the Israeli race TTTTC as seedlings in the greenhouse. A wide diversity of stem rust reactions was observed across the Aegilops spp. and ranged from highly resistant (i.e., infection type 0) to highly susceptible (infection type 4). The frequency of resistance within a species to races TTTTC and TTKSK ranged from 7 and 14%, respectively, in Aegilops searsii to 98 and 100% in AE. speltoides. In all, 346 accessions were found resistant to the three African races and 138 accessions were resistant (or heterogeneous with a resistant component) to all four races. The species with broadly resistant accessions included Ae. longissima (59 accessions), Ae. peregrina (47 accessions), Ae. sharonensis (15 accessions), Ae. geniculata (9 accessions), Ae. kotschyi (5 accessions), and Ae. bicornis (3 accessions). Few geographical trends or correlations with climatic variables were observed with respect to stem rust resistance in the Aegilops spp. The exception was Ae. longissima infected with race TTTTC, where a high frequency of resistance was found in central and northern Israel and a very low frequency in southern Israel (Negev desert region). This geographical trend followed a pattern of annual precipitation in Israel, and a significant correlation was found between this variable and resistance in Ae. longissima. Although difficult, it is feasible to transfer resistance genes from Aegilops spp. into wheat through conventional wide-crossing schemes or, alternatively, a cloning and transformation approach. The broadly resistant accessions identified in this study will be valuable in these research programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeness C Scott
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108
| | - Jacob Manisterski
- Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Hanan Sela
- Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Pnina Ben-Yehuda
- Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel
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Millet E, Manisterski J, Ben-Yehuda P, Distelfeld A, Deek J, Wan A, Chen X, Steffenson BJ. Introgression of leaf rust and stripe rust resistance from Sharon goatgrass (Aegilops sharonensis Eig) into bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Genome 2014; 57:309-16. [PMID: 25209724 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2014-0004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Leaf rust and stripe rust are devastating wheat diseases, causing significant yield losses in many regions of the world. The use of resistant varieties is the most efficient way to protect wheat crops from these diseases. Sharon goatgrass (Aegilops sharonensis or AES), which is a diploid wild relative of wheat, exhibits a high frequency of leaf and stripe rust resistance. We used the resistant AES accession TH548 and induced homoeologous recombination by the ph1b allele to obtain resistant wheat recombinant lines carrying AES chromosome segments in the genetic background of the spring wheat cultivar Galil. The gametocidal effect from AES was overcome by using an "anti-gametocidal" wheat mutant. These recombinant lines were found resistant to highly virulent races of the leaf and stripe rust pathogens in Israel and the United States. Molecular DArT analysis of the different recombinant lines revealed different lengths of AES segments on wheat chromosome 6B, which indicates the location of both resistance genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Millet
- a Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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Jones JDG, Witek K, Verweij W, Jupe F, Cooke D, Dorling S, Tomlinson L, Smoker M, Perkins S, Foster S. Elevating crop disease resistance with cloned genes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2014; 369:20130087. [PMID: 24535396 PMCID: PMC3928893 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Essentially all plant species exhibit heritable genetic variation for resistance to a variety of plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, oomycetes or viruses. Disease losses in crop monocultures are already significant, and would be greater but for applications of disease-controlling agrichemicals. For sustainable intensification of crop production, we argue that disease control should as far as possible be achieved using genetics rather than using costly recurrent chemical sprays. The latter imply CO₂ emissions from diesel fuel and potential soil compaction from tractor journeys. Great progress has been made in the past 25 years in our understanding of the molecular basis of plant disease resistance mechanisms, and of how pathogens circumvent them. These insights can inform more sophisticated approaches to elevating disease resistance in crops that help us tip the evolutionary balance in favour of the crop and away from the pathogen. We illustrate this theme with an account of a genetically modified (GM) blight-resistant potato trial in Norwich, using the Rpi-vnt1.1 gene isolated from a wild relative of potato, Solanum venturii, and introduced by GM methods into the potato variety Desiree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D. G. Jones
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Kamil Witek
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Walter Verweij
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
- The Genome Analysis Center, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Florian Jupe
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - David Cooke
- Cell and Molecular Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Dundee DD2 5DH, UK
| | - Stephen Dorling
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Laurence Tomlinson
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Matthew Smoker
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Sara Perkins
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Simon Foster
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
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Olivera PD, Kilian A, Wenzl P, Steffenson BJ. Development of a genetic linkage map for Sharon goatgrass (Aegilops sharonensis) and mapping of a leaf rust resistance gene. Genome 2013; 56:367-76. [PMID: 24099389 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2013-0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Aegilops sharonensis (Sharon goatgrass), a diploid wheat relative, is known to be a rich source of disease resistance genes for wheat improvement. To facilitate the transfer of these genes into wheat, information on their chromosomal location is important. A genetic linkage map of Ae. sharonensis was constructed based on 179 F2 plants derived from a cross between accessions resistant (1644) and susceptible (1193) to wheat leaf rust. The linkage map was based on 389 markers (377 Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) and 12 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci) and was comprised of 10 linkage groups, ranging from 2.3 to 124.6 cM. The total genetic length of the map was 818.0 cM, with an average interval distance between markers of 3.63 cM. Based on the chromosomal location of 115 markers previously mapped in wheat, the four linkage groups of A, B, C, and E were assigned to Ae. sharonensis (S(sh)) and homoeologous wheat chromosomes 6, 1, 3, and 2. The single dominant gene (designated LrAeSh1644) conferring resistance to leaf rust race THBJ in accession 1644 was positioned on linkage group A (chromosome 6S(sh)) and was flanked by DArT markers wpt-9881 (at 1.9 cM distal from the gene) and wpt-6925 (4.5 cM proximal). This study clearly demonstrates the utility of DArT for genotyping uncharacterized species and tagging resistance genes where pertinent genomic information is lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- P D Olivera
- a Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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Jones JDG. Why genetically modified crops? PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2011; 369:1807-1816. [PMID: 21464072 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2010.0345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
This paper is intended to convey the message of the talk I gave at the Theo Murphy meeting at the Kavli Centre in July 2010. It, like the talk, is polemical, and conveys the exasperation felt by a practitioner of genetically modified (GM) plant science at its widespread misrepresentation. I argue that sustainable intensification of agriculture, using GM as well as other technologies, reduces its environmental impact by reducing pesticide applications and conserving soil carbon by enabling low till methods. Current technologies (primarily insect resistance and herbicide tolerance) have been beneficial. Moreover, the near-term pipeline of new GM methods and traits to enhance our diet, increase crop yields and reduce losses to disease is substantial. It would be perverse to spurn this approach at a time when we need every tool in the toolbox to ensure adequate food production in the short, medium and long term.
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