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This study aimed to determine whether powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis is an endemic pathogen of triticale (·Triticosecale: Triticum · Secale), emerging as a result of recent changes in its pathogenicity, or whether it is a new pathogen, possibly resulting from hybridization between ff. spp. tritici and secalis. A secondary aim was to consider breeding practices that may have favoured this emergence. Phylogenetic analyses based upon six genes revealed the close relatedness of the novel entity and the ff. spp. tritici and secalis, but the IGS marker finally grouped together the isolates collected on triticale and on wheat, supporting the scenario of a recent host-range expansion from wheat to triticale. Pathotype analyses concluded that virulence spectra of B. graminis infecting triticale were new in comparison to those observed for other reference formae speciales, and lack of fungicide resistance in triticale isolates strengthens the hypothesis of no or little genetic exchange between wheat and triticale populations of powdery mildew. This adaptation may follow the breakdown of plant resistance genes, which are probably not very diverse in current triticale cultivars since this criterion was not considered as a major one until recent years. Moreover, the complex selection and genetics of this hybrid cereal makes it difficult to predict the transmission of powdery mildew resistance genes.

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Most elite wheat varieties cannot be crossed with related species thereby restricting greatly the germplasm that can be used for alien introgression in breeding programs. Inhibition to crossability is controlled genetically and a number of QTL have been identified to date, including the major gene Kr1 on 5BL and SKr, a strong QTL affecting crossability between wheat and rye on chromosome 5BS. In this study, we used a recombinant SSD population originating from a cross between the poorly crossable cultivar Courtot (Ct) and the crossable line MP98 to characterize the major dominant effect of SKr and map the gene at the distal end of the chromosome near the 5B homeologous GSP locus. Colinearity with barley and rice was used to saturate the SKr region with new markers and establish orthologous relationships with a 54-kb region on rice chromosome 12. In total, five markers were mapped within a genetic interval of 0.3 cM and 400 kb of BAC contigs were established on both sides of the gene to lay the foundation for map-based cloning of SKr. Two SSR markers completely linked to SKr were used to evaluate a collection of crossable wheat progenies originating from primary triticale breeding programs. The results confirm the major effect of SKr on crossability and the usefulness of the two markers for the efficient introgression of crossability in elite wheat varieties.

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