R. C. Frohberg

Increased grain protein content and its association with agronomic and end-use quality in two hard red spring wheat populations derived from Triticum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides

Suitability of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for many food products depends on its unique protein. Elevated grain protein content (GPC) and its quality influences the bread making properties of wheat. The objective of this study was to examine the association of elevated GPC with agronomic and end-use quality in two hard red spring wheat recombinant inbred (RI) populations derived from wild emmer (Triticum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides). The two hard red spring populations (ND683/Bergen and Glupro/Bergen) were developed using a single-seed-descent method. ND683 and ‘Glupro’ are high in GPC (180 g kg-1), presumably due to the introgression of gene(s) from Triticum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides and ‘Bergen’ is low in GPC (145 g kg-1). From each of the two populations 12 high- and 12 low-GPC RI lines (F5:7) were selected for replicated testing at two North Dakota (ND) locations in 1995. In both populations, the high-GPC lines had significantly (p < 0.05) higher values compared to the low-GPC lines for mean GPC and water absorption. Mean grain yield of the high-GPC lines was not significantly different from the low-GPC lines in both populations. In the ND683/Bergen population, the high-GPC lines had significantly (p < 0.05) higher values than the low-GPC lines for mean plant height, days to heading, and flour extraction. GPC was significantly (p < 0.05)and negatively associated with test weight and also significantly (p < 0.01) and positively associated with water absorption in the Glupro/Bergen population. In these populations, results suggested that it may be possible to select lines that combine higher GPC and acceptable yield level, but later in maturity and taller in plant height.

Breeding Hard Red Spring Wheat for FusariumHead Blight Resistance

Fusarium head blight (FHB) or scab (caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe [telomorph Gibberella zeae (Schwein.) Petch]) is one of the most destructive diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide, causing significant reductions in grain yield and quality. In the USA, since the 1993 FHB epidemic, tremendous research efforts have been undertaken to address this major problem that causes substantial economic losses for the wheat growers, industry, and export market. The deployment of resistant varieties is the only effective, economical and environmentally safe way to control FHB in wheat. More than a decade of classical breeding efforts to develop scab resistant hard red spring wheat (HRSW) cultivars at North Dakota State University (NDSU) resulted in releasing several HRSW cultivars with varying levels of FHB resistance. Since 2000, three major HRSW cultivars with FHB resistance were released and grown on large scale in the Northern-Central plains of the USA. These are ‘Alsen’ (2000), ‘Steele-ND’ (2004), and ‘Glenn’ (2005). Alsen has been grown, in average, on more than one million hectares in the last 3 years. However, Alsen and most FHB resistant wheat cultivars released by other wheat programs in the USA, trace back to the Chinese line ‘Sumai-3’ (PI481542) or its derivatives. The HRSW breeding program at NDSU has invested substantial breeding efforts to identify, introgress novel resistance genes from other sources to enhance genetic diversity, and facilitate pyramiding these resistance genes. The ultimate objective is developing HRSW cultivars with effective and durable FHB resistance. Our efforts have yielded in releasing the HRSW cultivars ‘‘Steele-ND’’ in 2004 and ‘‘Glenn’’ in 2005. Steele-ND traces its resistance to the wheat relative species Triticum dicoccoides and Glenn combines both Alsen and Steele-ND resistances. This paper addresses the breeding efforts at NDSU to release FHB resistant HRSW cultivars and elite germplasm as parental material for many breeding programs worldwide; and the future challenges to keep our research efforts ahead of the FHB disease