A systematic review of rye (Secale cereale L.) as a source of resistance to pathogens and pests in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Wheat is globally one of the most important crops. With the current human population growth rate, there is an increasing need to raise wheat productivity by means of plant breeding, along with development of more efficient and sustainable agricultural systems. Damage by pathogens and pests, in combination with adverse climate effects, need to be counteracted by incorporating new germplasm that makes wheat more resistant/tolerant to such stress factors. Rye has been used as a source for improved resistance to pathogens and pests in wheat during more than 50 years. With new devastating stem and yellow rust pathotypes invading wheat at large acreage globally, along with new biotypes of pest insects, there is renewed interest in using rye as a source of resistance.Currently the proportion of wheat cultivars with rye chromatin varies between countries, with examples of up to 34%. There is mainly one rye source, Petkus, that has been widely exploited and that has contributed considerably to raise yields and increase disease resistance in wheat. Successively, the multiple disease resistances conferred by this source has been overcome by new pathotypes of leaf rust, yellow rust, stem rust and powdery mildew. However, there are several other rye sources reported to make wheat more resistant to various biotic constraints when their rye chromatin has been transferred to wheat. There is also development of knowledge on how to produce new rye translocation, substitution and addition lines. Here we compile information that may facilitate decision making for wheat breeders aiming to transfer resistance to biotic constraints from rye to elite wheat germplasm.

Persistence of rye (Secale cereale L.) chromosome arm 1RS in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding programs of the Great Plains of North America

“…In the Great Plains of North America, it is joined and even exceeded by 1AL.1RS. The success of both translocations in North American winter wheat cultivar development, as described herein, and in both winter and spring wheats world-wide (Crespo-Herrera et al 2017) highlight the value of alien introgressions, as proposed by McFadden and Sears (1947) many decades ago.…”

Chromosome-scale genome assembly provides insights into rye biology, evolution, and agronomic potential

“…Thus, the absence of a TraesCS1B02G071642.1 ortholog in the non-restorer rye suggests it as an attractive Rf multi candidate. The only current implementations of a wheat- rye Rf multi CMS system involve 1RS.1BL translocations 5,58,61 , which are typically linked to reduced baking quality 40 . Breaking this linkage may now benefit from marker development and/or genome editing approaches targeting TraesCS1B02G071642.1 .…”

“…This makes rye an important crop along the northern boreal-hemiboreal belt, a climatic zone predicted to expand considerably in Eurasia and North America with anthropogenic global warming 1 . Rye chromatin introgressions into bread wheat can significantly increase yield by conferring disease resistance and enhanced root biomass 2-5 . Rye also possesses a unique bi-factorial self- incompatibility system 6 , and rye genes controlling self-compatibility and male fertility have enabled the establishment of efficient cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)-based hybrid breeding systems that exploit heterosis at large scales 7 .…”

Genetic and Epigenetic Stability in Rye Seeds under Different Storage Conditions: Ageing and Oxygen Effect

“…Rye was domesticated later than wheat and is able to grow in environments where other cereals cannot, such as cold, semi-arid and high-altitude temperate zones [29]. For these reasons it has been used as a source for improved resistance to pathogens and pests in wheat during more than 50 years [30] and is a species of unquestionable agronomic and economic interest [28]. Moreover, rye seeds are considered to have a medium-short longevity and deteriorate faster than those of wheat [1,31].…”