Quantitative Trait Loci for Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight in the Hulless Winter Barley Cultivar Eve

Abstract

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, is a devastating fungal disease that affects barley production worldwide through damaged kernels, low yields, and production of mycotoxins. The most effective means of control is through the use of FHB resistant cultivars that are developed through gene pyramiding and incorporation of various sources of resistance. Resistance identified in winter barley cultivar Eve has been identified in Virginia Tech's Small Grains Breeding Program. The objectives of this study are to validate resistance and identify additional resistance QTL, and identify tightly linked and diagnostic markers for use in MAS programs. A population of F5:7 RILs derived from the cross Eve/Doyce were evaluated for FHB resistance. FHB incidence (Inc), FHB severity (Sev), Fusarium damaged kernels (FDK), and deoxynivalenol (DON) were assessed over 2014-15 and 2015-16 at Blacksburg, VA, Mount Holly, VA, Kinston, NC, and Lexington, KY. A QTL on chromosome 6H associated with FHB Sev, FDK, and DON was identified. The QTL accounted for as high as 14.5% of the phenotypic variation for DON accumulation, 8.3% for FHB Sev, and 11.87% to 17.63% for FDK. The QTL marker region spans 56.5 to 66.6 cM with flanking markers SCRI_RS_147342 and Bmag0613. QTL for morphological traits, heading date and height, were found in the same region as the FHB resistance traits. Diagnostic SNP makers associated with the FHB resistance QTL identified can be used for FHB resistance identification in MAS breeding programs to incorporate and pyramid resistance QTL and genes into other plant material.