Effect of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance Gene Fhb1 on Agronomic and End-Use Quality Traits of Hard Red Winter Wheat

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Fhb1, a major gene that confers resistance to FHB, has been incorporated into spring wheat cultivars but not into hard winter wheat cultivars in the northern Great Plains of the United States. Our objective was to determine if the Fhb1 gene itself has or genes linked to Fhb1 have deleterious effects on agronomic or end-use quality traits in winter wheat. Forty-two F-3:7 entries from a three-way cross ('Alsen'/'NE00403'//'NE02584') and three check cultivars were divided into five genotypic classes: (i) 20 Fhb1 lines, (ii) one Fhb1 blend (a physical mixture of equal proportion of the 20 Fhb1 lines), (iii) 20 fhb1 lines, (iv) one fhb1 blend, and (v) three adapted checks. The entries were evaluated for agronomic and end-use quality traits in replicated trials at five locations in Nebraska. Contrasts of Fhb1 lines vs. fhb1 lines showed that Fhb1 lines were significantly more winter hardy, earlier, and higher in grain yield but were lower in protein content as compared to fhb1 lines. However, there were no differences in any measured trait between Fhb1 and fhb1 blends. No significant differences were observed among the genotypic classes with and without the Fhb1 gene for grain volume weight, kernels per spike, 1000-kernel weight, flour yield, and mixograph mixing time and mixing tolerance. Hence, Fhb1 did not have deleterious effects on agronomic and end-use quality traits and should be deployed in winter wheat cultivars.