Identification and molecular mapping of a gene in wheat conferring resistance to Mycosphaerella graminicola

Septoria tritici leaf blotch (STB), caused by the ascomycete Mycosphaerella graminicola (anamorph Septoria tritici), is an economically important disease of wheat. Breeding for resistance to STB is the most effective means to control this disease and can be facilitated through the use of molecular markers. However, molecular markers linked to most genes for resistance to STB are not yet available. This study was conducted to test for resistance in the parents of a standard wheat mapping population and to map any resistance genes identified. The population consisted of 130 F-10 recombinant-inbred lines (RILs) from a cross between the synthetic hexaploid wheat W7984 and cv. Opata 85. Genetic analysis indicated that a single major gene controls resistance to M. graminicola in this population. This putative resistance gene is now designated Stb8 and was mapped with respect to amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and microsatellite markers. An AFLP marker, EcoRI-ACG/MseI-CAG5, was linked in repulsion with the resistance gene at a distance of approximately 5.3 centimorgans (cM). Two flanking microsatellite markers, Xgwm146 and Xgwm577, were linked to the Stb8 gene on the long arm of wheat chromosome 7B at distances of 3.5 and 5.3 cM, respectively. The microsatellite markers identified in this study have potential for use in marker-assisted selection in breeding programs and for pyramiding of Stb8 with other genes for resistance to M. graminicola in wheat.