Genetic Characterization of Resistance to Wheat Stem Rust Race TTKSK in Landrace and Wild Barley Accessions Identifies the rpg4/Rpg5 Locus

Importance of Landraces in Cereal Breeding for Stress Tolerance

The renewed focus on cereal landraces is a response to some negative consequences of modern agriculture and conventional breeding which led to a reduction of genetic diversity. Cereal landraces are still cultivated on marginal lands due to their adaptability to unfavourable conditions, constituting an important source of genetic diversity usable in modern plant breeding to improve the adaptation to abiotic or biotic stresses, yield performance and quality traits in limiting environments. Traditional agricultural production systems have played an important role in the evolution and conservation of wide variability in gene pools within species. Today, on-farm and ex situ conservation in gene bank collections, together with data sharing among researchers and breeders, will greatly benefit cereal improvement. Many efforts are usually made to collect, organize and phenotypically and genotypically analyse cereal landrace collections, which also utilize genomic approaches. Their use in breeding programs based on genomic selection, and the discovery of beneficial untapped QTL/genes/alleles which could be introgressed into modern varieties by MAS, pyramiding or biotechnological tools, increase the potential for their better deployment and exploitation in breeding for a more sustainable agricultural production, particularly enhancing adaptation and productivity in stress-prone environments to cope with current climate changes.

Introgression of rpg4/Rpg5 Into Barley Germplasm Provides Insights Into the Genetics of Resistance to Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici Race TTKSK and Resources for Developing Resistant Cultivars

Stem rust (incited by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) is a devastating disease of wheat and barley in many production areas. The widely virulent African P. graminis f. sp. tritici race TTKSK is of particular concern, because most cultivars are susceptible. To prepare for the possible arrival of race TTKSK in North America, we crossed a range of barley germplasm-representing different growth habits and end uses-with donors of stem rust resistance genes Rpg1 and rpg4/Rpg5. The former confers resistance to prevalent races of P. graminis f. sp. tritici in North America, and the latter confers resistance to TTKSK and other closely related races from Africa. We produced doubled haploids from these crosses and determined their allele type at the Rpg loci and haplotype at 7,864 single-nucleotide polymorphism loci. The doubled haploids were phenotyped for TTKSK resistance at the seedling stage. Integration of genotype and phenotype data revealed that (i) Rpg1 was not associated with TTKSK resistance, (ii) rpg4/Rpg5 was necessary but was not sufficient for resistance, and (iii) specific haplotypes at two quantitative trait loci were required for rpg4/Rpg5 to confer resistance to TTKSK. To confirm whether lines found resistant to TTKSK at the seedling resistance were also resistant at the adult plant stage, a subset of doubled haploids was evaluated in Kenya. Additionally, adult plant resistance to leaf rust and stripe rust (incited by Puccinia hordei and Puccinia striiformis f. sp. hordei, respectively) was also assessed on the doubled haploids in field trials at three locations in the United States over a 2-year period. Doubled haploids were identified with adult plant resistance to all three rusts, and this germplasm is available to the research and breeding communities.

Genetic Mapping of Loci for Resistance to Stem Rust in a Tetraploid Wheat Collection

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), is a major biotic constraint to wheat production worldwide. Disease resistant cultivars are a sustainable means for the efficient control of this disease. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) conferring resistance to stem rust at the seedling stage, an association mapping panel consisting of 230 tetraploid wheat accessions were evaluated for reaction to five Pgt races under greenhouse conditions. A high level of phenotypic variation was observed in the panel in response to all of the races, allowing for genome-wide association mapping of resistance QTLs in wild, landrace, and cultivated tetraploid wheats. Twenty-two resistance QTLs were identified, which were characterized by at least two marker-trait associations. Most of the identified resistance loci were coincident with previously identified rust resistance genes/QTLs; however, six regions detected on chromosomes 1B, 5A, 5B, 6B, and 7B may be novel. Availability of the reference genome sequence of wild emmer wheat accession Zavitan facilitated the search for candidate resistance genes in the regions where QTLs were identified, and many of them were annotated as NOD (nucleotide binding oligomerization domain)-like receptor (NLR) genes or genes related to broad spectrum resistance.

Mapping adult plant stem rust resistance in barley accessions Hietpas-5 and GAW-79

Key message Major stem rust resistance QTLs proposed to be Rpg2 from Hietpas-5 and Rpg3 from GAW-79 were identified in chromosomes 2H and 5H, respectively, and will enhance the diversity of stem rust resistance in barley improvement programs. Stem rust is a devastating disease of cereal crops worldwide. In barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare), the disease is caused by two pathogens: Puccinia graminis f. sp. secalis (Pgs) and Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt). In North America, the stem rust resistance gene Rpg1 has protected barley from serious losses for more than 60 years; however, widely virulent Pgt races from Africa in the Ug99 group threaten the crop. The accessions Hietpas-5 (CIho 7124) and GAW-79 (PI 382313) both possess moderate-to-high levels of adult plant resistance to stem rust and are the sources of the resistance genes Rpg2 and Rpg3, respectively. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for stem rust resistance in Hietpas-5 and GAW-79, two biparental populations were developed with Hiproly (PI 60693), a stem rust-susceptible accession. Both populations were phenotyped to the North American Pgt races of MCCFC, QCCJB, and HKHJC in St. Paul, Minnesota, and to African Pgt races (predominately TTKSK in the Ug99 group) in Njoro, Kenya. In the Hietpas-5/Hiproly population, a major effect QTL was identified in chromosome 2H, which is proposed as the location for Rpg2. In the GAW-79/Hiproly population, a major effect QTL was identified in chromosome 5H and is the proposed location for Rpg3. These QTLs will enhance the diversity of stem rust resistance in barley improvement programs.

Genome-wide association study of stem rust resistance in a world collection of cultivated barley

QTL conferring a 14-40% reduction in adult plant stem rust severity to multiple races of Pgt were found on chromosome 5H and will be useful in barley breeding. Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) is an important disease of barley. The resistance gene Rpg1 has protected the crop against stem rust losses for over 70 years in North America, but is not effective against the African Pgt race TTKSK (and its variants) nor the domestic race QCCJB. To identify resistance to these Rpg1-virulent races, the Barley iCore Collection, held by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service National Small Grains Collection was evaluated for adult plant resistance (APR) and seedling resistance to race TTKSK and APR to race QCCJB and the Pgt TTKSK composite of races TTKSK, TTKST, TTKTK, and TTKTT. Using a genome-wide association study approach based on 6224 single nucleotide polymorphic markers, seven significant loci for stem rust resistance were identified on chromosomes 1H, 2H, 3H, and 5H. The most significant markers detected were 11_11355 and SCRI_RS_177017 at 71-75 cM on chromosome 5H, conferring APR to QCCJB and TTKSK composite. Significant markers were also detected for TTKSK seedling resistance on chromosome 5H. All markers detected on 5H were independent of the rpg4/Rpg5 complex at 152-168 cM. This study verified the importance of the 11_11355 locus in conferring APR to races QCCJB and TTKSK and suggests that it may be effective against other races in the Ug99 lineage.

Genome-Wide Association Mapping of Stem Rust Resistance in Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum

Stem rust was one of the most devastating diseases of barley in North America. Through the deployment of cultivars with the resistance gene Rpg1, losses to stem rust have been minimal over the past 70 yr. However, there exist both domestic (QCCJB) and foreign (TTKSK aka isolate Ug99) pathotypes with virulence for this important gene. To identify new sources of stem rust resistance for barley, we evaluated the Wild Barley Diversity Collection (WBDC) (314 ecogeographically diverse accessions of Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum) for seedling resistance to four pathotypes (TTKSK, QCCJB, MCCFC, and HKHJC) of the wheat stem rust pathogen (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, Pgt) and one isolate (92-MN-90) of the rye stem rust pathogen (P. graminis f. sp. secalis, Pgs). Based on a coefficient of infection, the frequency of resistance in the WBDC was low ranging from 0.6% with HKHJC to 19.4% with 92-MN-90. None of the accessions was resistant to all five cultures of P. graminis A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to map stem rust resistance loci using 50,842 single-nucleotide polymorphic markers generated by genotype-by-sequencing and ordered using the new barley reference genome assembly. After proper accounting for genetic relatedness and structure among accessions, 45 quantitative trait loci were identified for resistance to P. graminis across all seven barley chromosomes. Three novel loci associated with resistance to TTKSK, QCCJB, MCCFC, and 92-MN-90 were identified on chromosomes 5H and 7H, and two novel loci associated with resistance to HKHJC were identified on chromosomes 1H and 3H. These novel alleles will enhance the diversity of resistance available for cultivated barley.

Vulnerability of Barley to African Pathotypes of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici and Sources of Resistance

The emergence of widely virulent pathotypes (e.g., TTKSK in the Ug99 race group) of the stem rust pathogen (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) in Africa threatens wheat production on a global scale. Although intensive research efforts have been advanced to address this threat in wheat, few studies have been conducted on barley, even though pathotypes such as TTKSK are known to attack the crop. The main objectives of this study were to assess the vulnerability of barley to pathotype TTKSK and identify possible sources of resistance. From seedling evaluations of more than 1,924 diverse cultivated barley accessions to pathotype TTKSK, more than 95% (1,844) were found susceptible. A similar high frequency (910 of 934 = 97.4%) of susceptibility was found for the wild progenitor (Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum) of cultivated barley. Additionally, 55 barley lines with characterized or putative introgressions from various wild Hordeum spp. were also tested against pathotype TTKSK but none was found resistant. In total, more than 96% of the 2,913 Hordeum accessions tested were susceptible as seedlings, indicating the extreme vulnerability of the crop to the African pathotypes of P. graminis f. sp. tritici. In total, 32 (1.7% of accessions evaluated) and 13 (1.4%) cultivated and wild barley accessions, respectively, exhibited consistently highly resistant to moderately resistant reactions across all experiments. Molecular assays were conducted on these resistant accessions to determine whether they carried rpg4/Rpg5, the only gene complex known to be highly effective against pathotype TTKSK in barley. Twelve of the 32 (37.5%) resistant cultivated accessions and 11 of the 13 (84.6%) resistant wild barley accessions tested positive for a functional Rpg5 gene, highlighting the narrow genetic base of resistance in Hordeum spp. Other resistant accessions lacking the rpg4/Rpg5 complex were discovered in the evaluated germplasm and may possess useful resistance genes. Combining rpg4/Rpg5 with resistance genes from these other sources should provide more durable resistance against the array of different virulence types in the Ug99 race group.

Massive analysis of cDNA ends (MACE) reveals a co-segregating candidate gene for LpPg1 stem rust resistance in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Molecular markers including a potential resistance gene co-segregating with the LpPg1 stem rust resistance locus in perennial ryegrass were identified by massive analysis of cDNA ends (MACE) transcriptome profiling. Stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis subsp. graminicola is a severe fungal disease in the forage crop perennial ryegrass and other grasses. The previously identified LpPg1 locus confers efficient resistance against the pathogen. The aim of this study was to identify candidate genes involved in rust resistance and to use them as a resource for the development of molecular markers for LpPg1. To identify such candidates, bulked segregant analysis was combined with NGS-based massive analysis of cDNA ends (MACE) transcriptome profiling. Total RNA was isolated from bulks of infected and non-infected leaf segments from susceptible and resistant genotypes of a full-sibling mapping population and their respective parental lines and MACE was performed. Bioinformatic analysis detected 330 resistance-specific SNPs in 178 transcripts and 341 transcripts that were exclusively expressed in the resistant bulk. The sequences of many of these transcripts were homologous to genes in distinct regions of chromosomes one and four of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. Of these, 30 were genetically mapped to a 50.8 cM spanning region surrounding the LpPg1 locus. One candidate NBS-LRR gene co-segregated with the resistance locus. Quantitative analysis of gene expression suggests that LpPg1 mediates an efficient resistance mechanism characterized by early recognition of the pathogen, fast defense signaling and rapid induction of antifungal proteins. We demonstrate here that MACE is a cost-efficient, fast and reliable tool that detects polymorphisms for genetic mapping of candidate resistance genes and simultaneously reveals deep insight into the molecular and genetic base of resistance.

Identification of New Resistance Loci to African Stem Rust Race TTKSK in Tetraploid Wheats Based on Linkage and Genome-Wide Association Mapping

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. and E. Henn. (Pgt), is one of the most destructive diseases of wheat. Races of the pathogen in the "Ug99 lineage" are of international concern due to their virulence for widely used stem rust resistance genes and their spread throughout Africa. Disease resistant cultivars provide one of the best means for controlling stem rust. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring resistance to African stem rust race TTKSK at the seedling stage, we evaluated an association mapping (AM) panel consisting of 230 tetraploid wheat accessions under greenhouse conditions. A high level of phenotypic variation was observed in response to race TTKSK in the AM panel, allowing for genome-wide association mapping of resistance QTL in wild, landrace, and cultivated tetraploid wheats. Thirty-five resistance QTL were identified on all chromosomes, and seventeen are of particular interest as identified by multiple associations. Many of the identified resistance loci were coincident with previously identified rust resistance genes; however, nine on chromosomes 1AL, 2AL, 4AL, 5BL, and 7BS may be novel. To validate AM results, a biparental population of 146 recombinant inbred lines was also considered, which derived from a cross between the resistant cultivar "Cirillo" and susceptible "Neodur." The stem rust resistance of Cirillo was conferred by a single gene on the distal region of chromosome arm 6AL in an interval map coincident with the resistance gene Sr13, and confirmed one of the resistance loci identified by AM. A search for candidate resistance genes was carried out in the regions where QTL were identified, and many of them corresponded to NBS-LRR genes and protein kinases with LRR domains. The results obtained in the present study are of great interest as a high level of genetic variability for resistance to race TTKSK was described in a germplasm panel comprising most of the tetraploid wheat sub-species.