Genome-Wide Association Studies on Chinese Wheat Cultivars Reveal a Novel <i>Fusarium</i> Crown Rot Resistance Quantitative Trait Locus on Chromosome 3BL
Chuyuan Wang,
Manli Sun,
Peipei Zhang,
Xiaopeng Ren,
Shuqing Zhao,
Mengyu Li,
Zhuang Ren,
Meng Yuan,
Linfei Ma,
Zihan Liu,
Kaixuan Wang,
Feng Chen,
Zaifeng Li,
Xiaodong Wang
Affiliations
Chuyuan Wang
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Manli Sun
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Peipei Zhang
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Xiaopeng Ren
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Shuqing Zhao
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Mengyu Li
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Zhuang Ren
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Meng Yuan
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Linfei Ma
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Zihan Liu
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Kaixuan Wang
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Feng Chen
Agronomy College, National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, CIMMYT-China (Henan) Joint Center of Wheat and Maize, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China
Zaifeng Li
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Xiaodong Wang
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
Fusarium crown rot (FCR), primarily caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum, has emerged as a new threat to wheat production and quality in North China. Genetic enhancement of wheat resistance to FCR remains the most effective approach for disease control. In this study, we phenotyped 435 Chinese wheat cultivars through FCR inoculation at the seedling stage in a greenhouse. Our findings revealed that only approximately 10.8% of the wheat germplasms displayed moderate or high resistance to FCR. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) using high-density 660K SNP led to the discovery of a novel quantitative trait locus on the long arm of chromosome 3B, designated as Qfcr.hebau-3BL. A total of 12 significantly associated SNPs were closely clustered within a 1.05 Mb physical interval. SNP-based molecular markers were developed to facilitate the practical application of Qfcr.hebau-3BL. Among the five candidate FCR resistance genes within the Qfcr.hebau-3BL, we focused on TraesCS3B02G307700, which encodes a protein kinase, due to its expression pattern. Functional validation revealed two transcripts, TaSTK1.1 and TaSTK1.2, with opposing roles in plant resistance to fungal disease. These findings provide insights into the genetic basis of FCR resistance in wheat and offer valuable resources for breeding resistant varieties.
