Identification of a Novel Genomic Region Associated With Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight in Chinese Winter Wheat

Abstract

Background: Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a disease affecting wheat spikes caused by Fusarium species, which leads to cases of severe yield reduction and seed contamination. Therefore, identifying resistance genes from various sources is always of importance to wheat breeders. In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) focusing on FHB using a high-density genetic map constructed with 90K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays in a panel of 205 elite winter wheat accessions, was conducted in 3 environments. Results: Sixty-six significant marker–trait associations (MTAs) were identified (P<0.001) on fifteen chromosomes explaining 5.4–11.2% of the phenotypic variation therein. Some important new genomic regions involving FHB resistance were found on chromosomes 2A, 3B, 5B, 6A, and 7B. On chromosome 7B, 6 MTAs at 92 genetic positions were found in 2 environments. Moreover, there were 11 MTAs consistently associated with diseased spikelet rate and diseased rachis rate as pleiotropic effect loci. Eight new candidate genes of FHB resistance were predicated in wheat. Of which, three genes: TraesCS5D01G006700, TraesCS6A02G013600, and TraesCS7B02G370700 on chromosome 5DS, 6AS, and 7BL, respectively, were important in defending against FHB by regulating chitinase activity, calcium ion binding, intramolecular transferase activity, and UDP-glycosyltransferase activity in wheat. In addition, a total of six excellent alleles associated with wheat scab resistance were discovered. Conclusion: These results provide important genes/loci for enhancing FHB resistance in wheat breeding populations by marker-assisted selection.