Genetic Architecture of Fusarium Head Blight Disease Resistance and Associated Traits in Nordic Spring Wheat

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a widely known devastating disease of wheat caused by Fusarium graminearum and other Fusarium species. FHB resistance is quantitative, highly complex and divided into several resistance types. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) that are effective against several of the resistance types give valuable contributions to resistance breeding. A spring wheat panel of 300 cultivars and breeding lines of Nordic and exotic origins was tested in artificially inoculated field trials and subjected to visual FHB assessment in the years 2013 to 2015, 2019 and 2020. Deoxynivalenol (DON) content was measured on harvested grain samples and anther extrusion (AE) was assessed in separate trials. Principal component analysis based on 35K and 25K SNP arrays revealed the existence of two subgroups, dividing the panel into European and exotic lines. We employed a genome-wide association study to detect QTL associated with FHB traits and identify marker-trait associations (MTAs) that consistently influenced FHB resistance. Several MTAs were found to be significant for the FHB resistance. Of importance, haplotype analysis revealed a highly significant and consisted QTL on 7A, Qfhb.nmbu.7A.2, which was further validated on an independent set of breeding lines. Breeder-friendly KASP markers were developed for this QTL that can be used in marker-assisted selection. The lines in the wheat panel harboured from zero to five resistance alleles, and allele stacking showed that resistance can be significantly increased by combining several of these resistance alleles. This information enhances breeders´ possibilities for genomic prediction and to breed cultivars with improved FHB resistance.