Quantitative Trait Loci for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Huangcandou x 'Jagger' Wheat Population

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, is a devastating disease in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and growing resistant cultivars is one of the most effective strategies to minimize its damage. Huangcandou (HCD) is a Chinese wheat landrace that shows a high level of resistance to FHB spread within a spike (type II). To identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for FHB resistance in HCD, 190 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were developed from HCD x 'Jagger'. Jagger is a susceptible hard winter wheat from Kansas. The population was evaluated for the percentage of symptomatic spikelets (PSSs) per spike after single-floret inoculation in three greenhouse experiments. Initial marker screening identified 261 polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) between the parents. Analysis of these markers in the RIL population identified five QTLs, three from HCD and two from Jagger chromosomes. Two of the three QTLs from HCD were mapped on the short arms of chromosomes 3B, one in the distal end (3BSd) and another near the centromere (3BSc); the third was on the short arm of 3A (3AS). The QTL on 3BSd coincides with the previously reported Fhb1 and explained 26.1% of phenotypic variation. The QTL on 3AS explained up to 10.0% of phenotypic variation. The two QTLs from Jagger on chromosomes 2D and 6D explained 9.5% and 6.7% of phenotypic variations, respectively. A combination of QTLs from HCD and Jagger can enhance FHB type II resistance in wheat.