Crop Journal (Feb 2021)
Can effectoromics and loss-of-susceptibility be exploited for improving Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat?
Abstract
Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), which provides about 20% of daily calorie intake, is the most widely cultivated crop in the world, in terms of total area devoted to its cultivation. Therefore, even small increases in wheat yield can translate into large gains. Reducing the gap between actual and potential grain yield in wheat is a crucial task to feed the increasing world population. Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by the pathogenic fungus Fusarium graminearum and related Fusarium species is one of the most devastating wheat diseases throughout the world. This disease reduces not only the yield but also the quality by contaminating the grain with mycotoxins harmful for humans, animals and the environment. In recent years, remarkable achievements attained in “omics” technologies have not only provided new insights into understanding of processes involved in pathogenesis but also helped develop effective new tools for practical plant breeding. Sequencing of the genomes of various wheat pathogens, including F. graminearum, as well as those of bread and durum wheat and their wild relatives, together with advances made in transcriptomics and bioinformatics, has allowed the identification of candidate pathogen effectors and corresponding host resistance (R) and susceptibility (S) genes. However, so far, FHB effectors and wheat susceptibility genes/factors have been poorly studied. In this paper, we first briefly highlighted recent examples of improving resistance against pathogens via new techniques in different host species. We then propose effective strategies towards developing wheat cultivars with improved resistance to FHB. We hope that the article will spur discussions and interest among researchers about novel approaches with great potential for improving wheat against FHB.
