Enhancing the in vitro selection toolbox to develop Fusarium head blight resistant doubled haploid wheat and barley

Term: 4 years, beginning in 2021

Status: Ongoing

Funding Amount: $126,880

Lead Researcher(s): Dr. Nora Foroud (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge)

Funding Partners: Western Grains Research Foundation, Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission

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Project Description

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease of wheat caused by a group of Fusarium species that produce harmful mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON). DON is not only responsible for significant yield damage but also represents a food safety threat. Emergent strains in North America are more aggressive and produce more DON. Genetic surveys show that they now represent the majority of the Canadian Fg population. Wheat is the most widely FHB-affected crop and suffers the largest damage; barley is the next most affected crop, where 6-row barley is nearly as susceptible as wheat.

Billions of dollars in damage have been incurred in FHB outbreaks, especially in Eastern Canada, although incidence and impact have been on the rise in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Our objectives are to assist breeding programs in the development of Fusarium head blight-resistant wheat and barley for producers in western Canada. We are using an in vitro selection (IVS) method that employs high selection pressure for the development of doubled haploid bread wheat and barley lines with high levels of disease resistance. In this project, we will continue to generate FHB-resistant germplasm, but will also: (a) adapt the technology to target durum wheat, and (b) use IVS to develop a mutagenized, or “TILLING” population which can be used in breeding programs while also providing a genetic resource for marker development and to identify novel resistance and susceptibility genes.