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Collaborative project: Resistance of winter wheat towards soil-borne viruses in the face of climate change - subproject 1 (FuReWheat)

Project


Project code: 2818410ANZ
Contract period: 01.10.2019 - 30.09.2022
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: crop production, soil (conservation, fertility, cultivation, health), food security, climate (climate relevance, climate protection, climate change), plant genetic resources, plant diseases (virusus, bacteria, fungi, phytoplasma), resistance, wheat

The soil-borne furoviruses soil-borne wheat mosaic virus (SBWMV) and soil-borne cereal mosaic virus (SBCMV) cause extensive crop losses in wheat and other cereals worldwide. The viruses are transmitted by the protist vector Polymyxa graminis and also present in resting spores of the vector, in which they remain infectious over many years. The only efficient means to avoid crop losses through soil-borne furoviruses is the cultivation of resistant varieties. Only two resistance loci against furoviruses are known to date, thus, the identification and precise characterization of the genes encoded by these loci, as well as the identification of novel resistance genes is crucial to guarantee efficient and sustainable wheat production. Importantly, the prognosis for climate changes in Germany, especially predicted higher temperatures and increased precipitation, are consistent with optimal conditions for efficient infection by P. graminis and concurrent infection with the viruses transmitted by this pathogen. The project aim is therefore the development of virus resistant wheat cultivars while taking the influence of climate parameters on the stability of resistance and aggressivity of infection into account. Our experimental approach is to evaluate the impact of climate conditions temperature and humidity on aggressivity of infection by furoviruses and to assess the stability of known resistances under specific climate conditions. To facilitate the development of resistant varieties, we aim at isolating the Sbm1 gene and developing closely linked markers for Sbm2, the second resistance gene for SBCMV. Finally, to access new resistance genes against furoviruses, we will conduct genome-wide association studies and validate the results with the help of phenotypic and genotypic analysis in bi-parental populations. Thus, our project directly contributes to the development of resources and strategies for a future-oriented and sustainable wheat agriculture for food production.

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