Molecular cytogenetic analyses of two new wheat-rye 6RL translocation lines with resistance to wheat powdery mildew

Rye(Secale cereale)is a valuable gene donor for wheat improvement,especially for its resistance to diseases.Developing rye-derived resistance sources is important for wheat breeding.In the present study,two wheat-rye derivatives,designated JS016 and JS110,were produced by crossing common wheat cultivar Yangmai 23 with Pakistani rye accession W2A.Using sequential genomic in situ hybridization(GISH)and multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization(mc-FISH),JS016 and JS110 were identified as a T6BS.6RL translocation line and a T6BS.6BL6RL translocation line,respectively.Ten newly 6RL chromosome arm-specific markers were developed and used to confirm the 6RL translocation.The wheat 55K single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)array further verified the molecular cytogenetic identification results above and clarified their breakpoints at 430.9 and 523.0 Mb of chromosome 6B in JS016 and JS110,respectively.Resistance spectrum and allelism test demonstrated that JS016 and JS110 possessed novel powdery mildew resistance gene(s)that was derived from the 6RL translocation but differed from Pm20.Moreover,JS016 and JS110 had better agronomic traits than the previously reported 6RL translocation line carrying Pm20.To efficiently transfer and detect the 6RL translocation from JS016 and JS110,one 6RL-specific Kompetitive allele specific PCR(KASP)marker was developed and validated in high throughput marker-assisted selection(MAS).

Comparison of algorithms for monitoring wheat powdery mildew using multi-angular remote sensing data

Powdery mildew is a disease that threatens wheat production and causes severe economic losses worldwide. Its timely diagnosis is imperative for preventing and controlling its spread. In this study, the multiangle canopy spectra and disease severity of wheat were investigated at several developmental stages and degrees of disease severity. Four wavelength variable-selected algorithms: successive projection(SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling(CARS), feature selection learning(Relief-F), and genetic algorithm(GA), were used to identify bands sensitive to powdery mildew. The wavelength variables selected were used as input variables for partial least squares(PLS), extreme learning machine(ELM), random forest(RF), and support vector machine(SVM) algorithms, to construct a suitable prediction model for powdery mildew. Spectral reflectance and conventional vegetation indices(VIs) displayed angle effects under several disease severity indices(DIs). The CARS method selected relatively few wavelength variables and showed a relatively homogeneous distribution across the 13 viewing zenith angles.Overall accuracies of the four modeling algorithms were ranked as follows: ELM(0.70–0.82) > PLS(0.63–0.79) > SVM(0.49–0.69) > RF(0.43–0.69). Combinations of features and algorithms generated varied accuracies, with coefficients of determination(R^(2)) single-peaked at different observation angles. The constructed CARS-ELM model extracted a predictable bivariate relationship between the multi-angle canopy spectrum and disease severity, yielding an R^(2)> 0.8 at each measured angle. Especially for larger angles,monitoring accuracies were increased relative to the optimal VI model(40% at-60°, 33% at +60°), indicating that the CARS-ELM model is suitable for extreme angles of-60° and +60°. The results are proposed to provide a technical basis for rapid and large-scale monitoring of wheat powdery mildew.

Regionalization of wheat powdery mildew oversummering in China based on digital elevation

Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, the pathogen that causes wheat powdery mildew, is one of the most important diseases affecting wheat production in China, and the oversummering is the key stage of wheat powdery mildew epidemic. The more oversummering regionalization of wheat powdery mildew has played an important role in disease prediction, prevention and control. In this study, we analyzed the correlation between oversummering data of wheat powdery mildew and the meteorological factors over the past years, and determined that temperature was the key meteorological factor influencing oversummering of wheat powdery mildew. The average temperature at which wheat powdery mildew growth was terminated(26.2°C) was used as the threshold temperature to regionalize the oversummering range of wheat powdery mildew. This regionalization was done using the GIS ordinary kriging method combined with the Digital Elevation model(DEM) of China. The results showed that annual probability of oversummering region based on Model 26.2 were consistent with the actual survey of the more summer wheat powdery mildew. Wheat powdery mildew oversummering regions in China mainly cover mountainous or high-altitude areas, and these regions form a narrow north-south oversummering zone. Oversummering regions of wheat powdery mildew is mainly concentrated in the high-altitude wheat growing areas, including northern and southern Yunnan, northwestern Guizhou, northern and southern Sichuan, northern and southern Chongqing, eastern and southern Gansu, southeastern Ningxia, northern and southern Shaanxi, central Shanxi, western Hubei, western Henan, northern and western Hebei, western Liaoning, eastern Tibet, eastern Qinghai, western Xinjiang and other regions of China.

Control Efficiency of 36% Carbendazim Triadimefon SC on Wheat Powdery Mildew and Pink Mold

This paper explored the control efficiency of 36% Carbendazim triadimefon SC on wheat powdery mildew, wheat pink mold and rope sclerotinia, and the impact on rape yield through field experiment. The results showed that the control efficiency was the best on the 7th and 14th day after the application of 36% Car- bendazim triadimefon SC in the dosage of 2 250 mL/hm2, and rope yield was improved by 32%.

Fine mapping of the powdery mildew resistance gene PmXQ-0508 in bread wheat

In a wheat breeding line XQ-0508 showing consistent resistance to powdery mildew disease,a recessive gene,designated PmXQ-0508,was identified and mapped to a distal region on chromosome arm 2BS.Of three resistance-associated genes in this region,one encoding a protein kinase was selected as the primary candidate for PmXQ-0508.Ten closely linked DNA markers developed in the study could be used for marker-assisted selection for powdery-mildew resistance in breeding programs.

Droplet deposition and efficiency of fungicides sprayed with small UAV against wheat powdery mildew

Small unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV),a timely and effective pesticide sprayer,can be used to spray pesticide in a high efficiency without harming the crop,and is especially suitable for spraying for small farms and hills in Asian countries.In recent years,it has been chosen as a key and new technique for pesticide application.This paper studied the impact of UAV(UAV N-3)spraying parameters(different working height and different spraying concentrations)on the deposition of droplets on the wheat canopy and the prevention of powdery mildew.Water sensitive paper was used as the sampler to collect the pesticide droplets and image processing software Deposit Scan was used to compute the coverage rate of droplets on the wheat top layer to acquire the proportional distribution of droplets on the wheat lower layer.The experimental results showed the impact of spraying height on the distribution of droplets on the wheat upper layer was quite significant,when the spraying height was 5.0 m and the spraying speed was 4 m/s,the coverage rate of droplets on the wheat lower layer was the largest,as it was 45.6%of that on the upper layer,the droplets distribution was the most uniform,and the coefficient of variation was 33.13%.450 g/hm^(2)(dosage registered)of triadimefon SC(44%)was sprayed by the UAV,the control efficiency reached 55.1%after applying which was better than 20%and 40%of dosage decreased for each hectare,and the applying effect(35.6%)of 20%dosage decreased for each hectare had no significant difference from the applying effect(34.6%)applied by a knapsack-type electric sprayer.At 10 d after applying,the prevention effect realized by UAV was lower than that realized by a knapsack-type electric sprayer,and it may be correlated to the meteorological condition and water amount in the pesticide sprayed.Thus,when UAV spraying was chosen to prevent wheat powdery mildew under a serious disease situation,an auxiliary agent for spraying could be added to prolong the retention of pesticide on the plant surface to extend the pesticide effect.This study can provide a reference for the optimized design,performance upgrade and reasonable application of small UAV sprayers.

The Effect of Wheat Mixtures on the Powdery Mildew Disease and Some Yield Components

Mixtures composed of five wheat cultivars,Jingshuang 16,Jing 411,Jingdong 8,Lunxuan 987,and Baofeng 104,with different levels of resistance against powdery mildew were tested for their potential containment of the disease development in the field and for the influence on grain yield and the content of crude protein in the years 2007 and 2010.The plots were inoculated artificially with mixed isolates collected in the fields and propagated in the greenhouse and the disease was scored in 7 d interval during the two growing seasons.It was indicated that certain combinations,e.g.,Jingdong 8：Lunxuan 987,Jingdong 8：Baofeng 104,and Jing 411：Jingdong 8：Baofeng 104,showed positive efficacy on the mildew.The cultivar combinations tested in 2007 showed increase of grain yield,while most of the combinations tested in 2010 did not show the increase.The differences of the increases or decreases were not statistically significant except combinations Jing 411：Jingdong 8：Baofeng104,Jingshuang16：Jingdong8：Lunxuang 987 and Jingshuang 16：Jingdong 8：Lunxuan 987：Baofeng 104,which showed the decrease of the grain yield.The mixtures did not show influence on the content of crude protein in grain.More cultivar combinations need to be tested.

Molecular and Physical Mapping of Powdery Mildew Resistance Genes and QTLs in Wheat: A Review

Wheat powdery mildew （Pro） is a major disease of wheat worldwide. During the past years, numerous studies have been published on molecular mapping of Pm resistance gene（s） in wheat. We summarized the relevant findings of 89 major re- sistance gene mapping studies and 25 quantitative trait loci （QTL） mapping studies. Major Pm resistance genes and QTLs were found on all wheat chromosomes, but the Pm resistance genes/QTLs were not randomly distributed on each chromosome of wheat. The summarized data showed that the A or B genome has more major Pm resistance genes than the D genome and chromosomes 1A, 2A, 2B, 5B, 5D, 6B, 7A and 7B harbor more major Pm resistance genes than the other chromosomes. For adult plant resistance （APR） genes/QTLs, B genome of wheat harbors more APR genes than A and D genomes, and chromo- somes 2A, 4A, 5A, 1B, 2B, 3B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 2D, 5D and 7D harbor more Pm resistance QTLs than the other chromosomes, suggesting that A genome except 1A, 3A and 6A, B genome except 4B, D genome except 1D, 3D, 4D, and 6D play an impor- tant role in wheat combating against powdery mildew. Furthermore, Pm resistance genes are derived from wheat and its rela- tives, which suggested that the resistance sources are diverse and Pm resistance genes are diverse and useful in combating against the powdery mildew isolates. In this review, four APR genes, Pm38/Lr34/Yr18/Sr57, Pm46/Lr67/Yr46/Sr55, Pm？/Lr27/Yr30/ SY2 and Pm39/Lr46/Yr29, are not only resistant to powdery mildew but also effective for rust diseases in the field, indicating that such genes are stable and useful in wheat breeding programmes. The summarized data also provide chromosome locations or linked markers for Pm resistance genes/QTLs. Markers linked to these genes can also be utilized to pyramid diverse Pm resis- tance genes/QTLs more efficiently by marker-assisted selection.

Genetic dissection of the powdery mildew resistance in wheat breeding line LS5082 using BSR-Seq

Powdery mildew of wheat is a destructive disease seriously threatening yield and quality worldwide.Comprehensive dissection of new resistance-related loci/genes is necessary to control this disease.LS5082 is a Chinese wheat breeding line with resistance to powdery mildew.Genetic analysis,using the populations of LS5082 and three susceptible parents(Shannong 29,Shimai 22 and Huixianhong),indicated that a single dominant gene,tentatively designated PmLS5082,conferred seedling resistance to different Blumeria graminis f.sp.tritici(Bgt)isolates.Bulked segregant RNA-Seq was carried out to map PmLS5082 and to profile differentially expressed genes associated with PmLS5082.PmLS5082 was mapped to a 0.7 cM genetic interval on chromosome arm 2BL,which was aligned to a 0.7 Mb physical interval of 710.3–711.0 Mb.PmLS5082 differs from the known powdery mildew(Pm)resistance genes on chromosome arm 2BL based on their origin,chromosome positions and/or resistance spectrum,suggesting PmLS5082 is most likely a new Pm gene/allele.Through clusters of orthologous groups and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes analyses,differentially expressed genes(DEGs)associated with PmLS5082 were profiled.Six DEGs in the PmLS5082 interval were confirmed to be associated with PmLS5082 via qPCR analysis,using an additional set of wheat samples and time-course analysis postinoculation with Bgt isolate E09.Ten closely linked markers,including two kompetitive allele-specific PCR markers,were confirmed to be suitable for marker-assisted selection of PmLS5082 in different genetic backgrounds,thus can be used to detect PmLS5082 and pyramid it with other genes in breeding programs.

Effects of Powdery Mildew on 1 000-Kernel Weight, Crude Protein Content and Yield of Winter Wheat in Three Consecutive Growing Seasons

In order to clarify the impact posed by wheat powdery mildew （Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici） on the yield and yield components in different epidemic seasons, field trials were conducted in three growing seasons, 2009-2010, 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, in Langfang City, Hebei Province, China. The relationships between 1000-kernel weight, crude protein content of grain and yield and disease index （DI）, as well as area under disease progress curve （AUDPC） were studied. The models of the percentage of loss of 1000-kernel weight, crude protein content and yield were constructed using DI at critical point （CP） of growth stages （GS） and AUDPC in the three growing seasons, respectively. The CPs for estimating 1 000-kernel weight, crude protein content of grain and yield of wheat caused by powdery mildew were GS 11.1, GS 10.5.3 and GS l 0.5.3, respectively. Models based on DI at CP to estimate the percentage of loss of 1000-kernel weight, crude protein content of grain and yield were better than models based on AUDPC. And models of the percentage of loss of 1000-kernel weight, crude protein content and yield for 2011-2012 season were significant different from these for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons. These results indicated that besides powdery mildew, weather conditions also had influence on 1 000-kernel weight, crude protein content of grain and yield loss of wheat when powdery mildew occurred.