TEN-TG: A tilling and genome resource for Fusarium Head Blight improvement

• Start date: April, 2022
• Project Length: 3 Years
• Project Status: In Progress

Background

In recent years, the pairing of mutagenesis with next generation sequencing has become a reliable technique for trait improvement and the identification of gene function (Kumar et al. 2017). The development of TILLING (targeting induced local lesion in genomes) method has significantly advanced the detection of useful mutations in crops (Kumar et al. 2017). The power of TILLING has been demonstrated in wheat (Bovina et al 2014; Guo et al. 2017; Slade et al. 2005), barley (Talame et al. 2008), maize (Till et al. 2004) and rice (Sizuki et al. 2008). We propose in this project to utilize a novel TILLING population of AAC Tenacious as a resource to identify resistance genes, and then to be a source of freely available seed material for the evaluation of different traits, wheat diseases, or for crossing purposes. Also, we will develop perfect markers for current and future breeding activities. As a part of the project, we will also develop and release a database of sequence and phenotypic information that Canadian wheat breeding and research programs could mine for an array of other useful traits. The germplasm and genetic resources developed in this project will have a very positive impact on future wheat cultivar development in Canada, increasing yield and quality, and reducing our dependence on fungicides for the control of FHB.

Markers developed in this project will accelerate the breeding process and make trait monitoring more accurate and cost effective over traditional phenotyping. Improved resistance to FHB will protect producers' grades, as well as milling and baking quality of Canadian wheat, thus ensuring the marketability of wheat in domestic and international markets. Protection of wheat marketability is critical for Canadian producers.

Manitoba Crop Alliance Funding:

$11,500

Total Funding Approved:

$749,477

Funding Partners:

ADF, WGRF, AWC, SWDC