Mapping rust resistance in European winter wheat: many QTLs for yellow rust resistance, but only a few well characterized genes for stem rust resistance.

Stem rust resistance was mainly based on a few, already known resistance genes; for yellow rust resistance there was a combination of designated genes and minor QTLs. Yellow rust (YR) caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp.

Molecular tracking of multiple disease resistance in a winter wheat diversity panel.

About 10% of cultivars possessed superior resistance to four fungal diseases and association mapping for multiple disease resistance identified loci which are not detected by analyzing individual disease resistances. Multiple disease resistance (MDR) aims for cultivars that are resistant to more than one disease which is an important prerequisite for the registration of commercial cultivars. We analyzed a European winter wheat diversity panel of 158 old and new cultivars for four diseases by natural (powdery mildew) and artificial inoculation (yellow rust, stem rust, Fusarium head blight) observed on the same plot in a multilocation trial.

Hybrid durum wheat: heterosis of grain yield and quality traits and genetic architecture of anther extrusion.

Hybrid durum has a promising yield potential coupled with good quality, but the efficiency of hybrid seed production must be improved. Hybrid breeding is a tremendous success story in many crops, but has not yet made a breakthrough in wheat, mainly due to inefficient hybrid seed production. In this study, we investigated the heterosis for grain yield and important quality traits in durum wheat of 33 hybrids built up from 24 parental lines, as well as the variation in anther extrusion and its genetic architecture in a vast collection of Central European elite durum lines.

Can spelt wheat be used as heterotic group for hybrid wheat breeding?

Spelt wheat is a distinct genetic group to elite bread wheat, but heterosis for yield and protein quality is too low for spelt to be recommended as heterotic group for hybrid breeding in wheat. The feasibility to switch from line to hybrid breeding is currently a hot topic in the wheat community. One limitation seems to be the lack of divergent heterotic groups within wheat adapted to a certain region.