Mapping quantitative trait loci associated with leaf rust resistance in five spring wheat populations using single nucleotide polymorphism markers

PLoS One. 2020 Apr 8;15(4):e0230855. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230855. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Growing resistant wheat (Triticum aestivum L) varieties is an important strategy for the control of leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks. This study sought to identify the chromosomal location and effects of leaf rust resistance loci in five Canadian spring wheat cultivars. The parents and doubled haploid lines of crosses Carberry/AC Cadillac, Carberry/Vesper, Vesper/Lillian, Vesper/Stettler and Stettler/Red Fife were assessed for leaf rust severity and infection response in field nurseries in Canada near Swift Current, SK from 2013 to 2015, Morden, MB from 2015 to 2017 and Brandon, MB in 2016, and in New Zealand near Lincoln in 2014. The populations were genotyped with the 90K Infinium iSelect assay and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was performed. A high density consensus map generated based on 14 doubled haploid populations and integrating SNP and SSR markers was used to compare QTL identified in different populations. AC Cadillac contributed QTL on chromosomes 2A, 3B and 7B (2 loci), Carberry on 1A, 2B (2 loci), 2D, 4B (2 loci), 5A, 6A, 7A and 7D, Lillian on 4A and 7D, Stettler on 2D and 6B, Vesper on 1B, 1D, 2A, 6B and 7B (2 loci), and Red Fife on 7A and 7B. Lillian contributed to a novel locus QLr.spa-4A, and similarly Carberry at QLr.spa-5A. The discovery of novel leaf rust resistance QTL QLr.spa-4A and QLr.spa-5A, and several others in contemporary Canada Western Red Spring wheat varieties is a tremendous addition to our present knowledge of resistance gene deployment in breeding. Carberry demonstrated substantial stacking of genes which could be supplemented with the genes identified in other cultivars with the expectation of increasing efficacy of resistance to leaf rust and longevity with little risk of linkage drag.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Basidiomycota / physiology
  • Disease Resistance / genetics*
  • Genetic Markers / genetics*
  • Plant Diseases / immunology
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
  • Quantitative Trait Loci / genetics*
  • Triticum / genetics*
  • Triticum / microbiology*
  • Triticum / physiology

Substances

  • Genetic Markers

Grants and funding

Financial support was received from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to REK and RDC, the Western Grains Research Foundation to RDC, CJP, and REK, and the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund to CJP, RDC, and REK. Genotyping for the consensus map was supported in part through the “Canadian Triticum Applied Genomics” grant funded by Genome Canada, Genome Prairie, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, Alberta Wheat Development Commission, and the Manitoba Wheat and Barley commission to CJP, RDC, and REK.