We discovered a natural
Increases in wheat grain yield are necessary to meet future global food demands. A previous study showed that loss-of-function mutations in
Vernalization genes underlying dramatic differences in flowering time between spring wheat and winter wheat have been studied extensively, but little is known about genes that regulate subtler differences in flowering time among winter wheat cultivars, which account for approximately 75% of wheat grown worldwide. Here, we identify a gene encoding an
We discovered a natural
Increases in wheat grain yield are necessary to meet future global food demands. A previous study showed that loss-of-function mutations in
Introgression of resistance genes from wild or related species is a common strategy to improve disease resistance of wheat cultivars. Pm17 is a gene that confers powdery mildew resistance in wheat. It encodes an NLR type of immune receptor and was introgressed from rye to wheat as part of the 1RS chromosome arm translocation several decades ago. So far it has not been possible to separate Pm17 from its co-introgressed rye genes due to suppressed recombination. Here we tested in the field transgenic Bobwhite wheat overexpressing Pm17 without any other rye genes. Four transgenic events showed high levels of PM17 protein accumulation, strong powdery mildew resistance, and no pleiotropic effects during three field seasons. We used a combined approach of transgene insertion and cross-breeding to generate lines co-expressing Pm17 and Pm3, or Pm17 and Pm8. Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici infection tests confirmed additive, race-specific resistance of the two pyramided transgenes in lines Pm17+Pm3b and Pm17+Pm8. Furthermore, pyramided lines showed strong powdery mildew resistance during three field seasons. We conclude that the combination of overexpressed NLR genes from the extended gene pool broadens and diversifies wheat disease resistance.
The wheat wild relative
Hessian fly (HF;
Producers desire cultivars that consistently perform with high yields and end‐use qualities. Unlike easily recognized average yield improvements, yield stability over time is less examined, especially when considering the role of breeding relative to other factors like management and changing climatic conditions. Our study system was a 70‐year historical dataset from which we estimated the year‐over‐year stability of winter wheat (