QTL Mapping of Seedling and Adult Plant Resistance to Septoria Tritici Blotch in Winter Wheat cv. Mandub (Triticum aestivum L.)

Septoria tritici blotch (STB) is one of the most devastating foliar diseases of wheat worldwide. Host resistance is the most economical and safest method of controlling the disease, and information on resistance loci is crucial for effective breeding for resistance programs. In this study we used a mapping population consisting of 126 doubled-haploid lines developed from a cross between the resistant cultivar Mandub and the susceptible cultivar Begra. Three monopycnidiospore isolates of Z. tritici with diverse pathogenicity were used to test the mapping population and parents' STB resistance at the seedling stage (under a controlled environment) and adult plant stage (polytunnel). For both types of environments, the percentage leaf area covered by necrosis (NEC) and pycnidia (PYC) was determined. A linkage map comprising 5899 DArTSNP and silicoDArT markers was used for the quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. The analysis showed five resistance loci on chromosomes 1B, 2B and 5B, four of which were derived from cv. Mandub. The location of QTL detected in our study on chromosomes 1B and 5B may suggest a possible identity or close linkage with Stb2/Stb11/StbWW and Stb1 loci, respectively. QStb.ihar-2B.4 and QStb.ihar-2B.5 detected on chromosome 2B do not co-localize with any known Stb genes. QStb.ihar-2B.4 seems to be a new resistance locus with a moderate effect (explaining 29.3% of NEC and 31.4% of PYC), conferring resistance at the seedling stage. The phenotypic variance explained by QTL detected in cv. Mandub ranged from 11.9% to 70.0%, thus proving that it is a good STB resistance source and can potentially be utilized in breeding programs.

Automated summary

The study identified five resistance loci for Septoria tritici blotch in wheat, with some potentially derived from the Mandub cultivar, and discovered a possibly new resistance locus. It also demonstrated that the Mandub cultivar is a potential good source of STB resistance and could be utilized in breeding programs.