Investment

Investment

GRDC Code: DPI2305-008RTX
Advancing genetic solutions for crop protection in Australian wheat: identifying novel resistance genes to Septoria tritici blotch
Wheat production is threatened by various diseases including Septoria tritici blotch (STB), a foliar disease of wheat caused by the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici. To help, GRDC and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) are partnering in a $4.55 million investment over five years to provide genetic-based solutions for the wheat industry against (STB).

STB is prevalent in medium-high rainfall zones of Australia. If left unmanaged STB can reduce yields by up to 50 per cent. Traditional control by fungicides is estimated to cost the industry $121 million per year, however resistance to some common fungicides including triazoles and strobilurin used to control STB is evolving.

One way to manage this disease is to use wheat varieties resistant to STB. However, 10 out of 17 genes tested for adult plant resistance (APR) performance in field experiments over the past 8 years are no longer effective in Australia. These include; Stb2/11/WW, Stb3, Stb4, Stb6, Stb7/12, Stb9 and Stb18. Therefore, identifying new sources of APR genes is essential for developing wheat varieties with better agronomic performance.

APR genes confer partial but durable resistance to the disease at later stages of plant development. They are preferred in breeding programs because of their flexibility in integrated disease management systems and their durability of resistance in breeding. This investment aims to discover and transfer novel APR genes for STB resistance in wheat breeding programs. The objectives are to:

  1. Identify and characterise novel sources of APR to STB in diverse wheat germplasm from international and Australian sources using molecular markers and phenotypic data.
  2. Validate and fine-map novel APR genes using bi-parental and multi-parental populations.
  3. Transfer novel APR genes into elite Australian wheat lines using marker-assisted selection.
  4. Evaluate the performance and stability of the novel APR gene across diverse environments.
The expected outcomes of this project are:

  1. Increased knowledge of the genetic diversity and mechanisms of novel APR to STB in wheat.
  2. Improved tools for discovering and transferring novel APR genes in wheat breeding.
  3. Enhanced wheat varieties with novel and effective resistance to STB for farmers and breeders.
    Project start date:
    01/05/2023
    Project end date:
    30/06/2028
    Crop type:
    • Wheat, (Cereal)
    Organisation
    [NSW] Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
    Region:
    North, South
    Project status
    status icon Active

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