Key message The spring wheat-derived QTL Fhb1 was successfully introgressed into triticale and resulted in significantly improved FHB resistance in the three triticale mapping populations. Abstract Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a major problem in cereal production particularly because of mycotoxin contaminations. Here we characterized the resistance to FHB in triticale breeding material harboring resistance factors from bread wheat. A highly FHB-resistant experimental line which derives from a triticale × wheat cross was crossed to several modern triticale cultivars. Three populations of recombinant inbred lines were generated and evaluated in field experiments for FHB resistance using spray inoculations during four seasons and were genotyped with genotyping-by-sequencing and SSR markers. FHB severity was assessed in the field by visual scorings and on the harvested grain samples using digital picture analysis for quantifying the whitened kernel surface (WKS). Four QTLs with major effects on FHB resistance were identified, mapping to chromosomes 2B, 3B, 5R, and 7A. Those QTLs were detectable with both Fusarium severity traits. Measuring of WKS allows easy and fast grain symptom quantification and appears as an effective scoring tool for FHB resistance. The QTL on 3B collocated with Fhb1, and the QTL on 5R with the dwarfing gene Ddw1. This is the first report demonstrating the successful introgression of Fhb1 into triticale. It comprises a significant step forward for enhancing FHB resistance in this crop.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a cereal disease of major importance responsible for yield losses and mycotoxin contaminations in grains. Here, we introduce a new measurement approach to quantify FHB severity on grains based on the evaluation of the whitened kernel surface (WKS) using digital image analysis. The applicability of WKS was assessed on two bread wheat and one triticale grain sample sets (265 samples). Pearson correlation coefficients between Fusarium‐damaged kernels (FDK) and WKS range from r = 0.77 to r = 0.81 and from r = 0.61 to r = 0.86 for the correlation between deoxynivalenol (DON) content and WKS. This new scoring method facilitates fast and reliable assessment of the resistance to kernel infection and shows significant correlation with mycotoxin content. WKS can be automated and does not suffer from the “human factor” inherent to visual scorings. As a low‐cost and fast approach, this method appears particularly attractive for breeding and genetic analysis of FHB resistance where typically large numbers of experimental lines need to be evaluated, and for which WKS is suggested as an alternative to visual FDK scorings.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a perennial crop belonging to the Asteraceae family. Its main agronomic and industrial interest is the accumulation in its leaves of steviol glycosides (SG), natural acaloric sweeteners which are 300 times sweeter than sucrose. In order to expand phenotyping knowledge on this emerging crop, researchers and breeders need a universal scale to describe the development of this plant. The objective of this study was to describe the phenological growth stages of stevia through the use of the Biologische Bundesanstalt Bundessortenamt and Chemical Industry (BBCH) scale to provide a standard scale for stevia grown under temperate conditions of production and climate. The observation of phenological stages was performed on genetic resources and validated on stevia progenies grown in field conditions. The 10 phenological stages, namely germination, bud development, foliar development, side shoots appearance, stems elongation, development of harvestable part of the crop, inflorescence emergence, flowering, development of fruit, seeds ripening and senescence, were used to describe the stevia, supplemented with pictures. The chronology and duration of each stage were also observed and described according to the accumulation of degree days during the growing season. This study presents the first BBCH scale established for S. rebaudiana cultivated in temperate conditions and a chronology of phenological stages based on the accumulation of thermal time, through growing degree day calculation (°C/day). This work provides a tool that can be widely used by farmers, breeders and researchers leading to better agronomic management and scientific communication.