GrainGenes
A Database for Triticeae and Avena
COLORADO
Department of Agronomy, Ft. Collins, CO 80523, USA.
J.S. Quick, J. Stormberger, B. Clifford, S. Clayschulte,
H. Dong, Q.A. Khan, T. Mulat, and A. Ibrahim.
Production. The 1994
Colorado winter wheat production was 102.6 million bushels, up
34 % from the 1994 crop, and the yield average was 38 bu/acre,
up from 30 bu/acre in 1994 and similar to the 37 bu/acre yield
in 1993.
Breeding program. Halt,
the first RWA-resistant wheat developed and released in the U.S.A.
(1994) performed very well in 1995 trials compared to the predominant
cultivar TAM 107. Halt is an early semidwarf, with excellent
quality, moderate susceptibility to leaf rust, and slightly lower
yield than Yuma. Selection progress was made for grain yield,
grain volume, weight, resistance to shattering, WSMV resistance,
and breadmaking quality. Cultivar performance trials and Russian
wheat aphid evaluations were conducted statewide.
Russian wheat aphid.
A laboratory leaf-unrolling test was able to detect differences
between RWA-resistant and susceptible wheats, but needs further
modification before it would be suitable for large-scale RWA screening.
At least seven different major genes are associated with RWA
resistance. We have completed genetic studies on 14 resistant
lines by crosses to a susceptible parent and by crosses to three
resistant wheat previously characterized for gene(s) for resistance.
Studies are underway to utilize molecular markers associated
with the RWA resistance genes in the breeding program. Backcross-derived
RWA-resistant lines were developed for the major cultivars grown
in Colorado.
The project leader, J.S. Quick, spent most of 1995
on sabbatical leave at CIMMYT in Mexico, and conducted research
on heat tolerance in wheat with Drs. Reynolds and Rajaram. Three
field tests for heat tolerance were evaluated at Tlaltizapan and
Ciudad Obregon using canopy temperature depression, stomatal conductance,
and leaf chlorosis. Canopy temperature depression has considerable
promise, but because it is greatly affected by air movement, may
have limited value in Colorado. Leaf chlorosis also shows promise,
and has value for other traits as well but needs to be evaluated
under Colorado conditions. Stomatal conductance has limited application
as a breeding tool until more robust equipment can be designed.
The laboratory tests, membrane thermostability (MT)
and triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride (TC), are repeatable, and we
demonstrated genetic variability in 19 experiments. The value
of MT was demonstrated in field tests in winter wheat (Saadalla
et al. Crop Sci 1990) and needs to be tested in spring wheats
via divergent selection. The value of the TC test needs to be
determined with divergent selection in both spring and winter
wheats; its heritability and the genetic effects associated with
a limited number of winter wheat cultivars were estimated (Porter
et al. Crop Sci 1995). Genetic studies combining winter and
spring wheats and the evaluation of these tests by a graduate
student, Amir Ibrahim, are underway in a joint CIMMYTñCSU
project.
The laboratory tests were modified to save time
and money. We designed a new method for germination and seedling
growth using folded germination paper and growth, hardening, and
heat treatment in the light rather than in the dark. These modifications
will be published soon.
Other research areas:
The following proposals resulted from research and discussion.
1. A set of tester lines should be identified in
winter and spring wheats for use by other investigators. The
winter wheats should be TAM 107 and Arlin for the MT test.
2. A heat stress index, similar to the drought
stress index of Fischer and Maurer, 1978, should be developed
for field use.
3. A weighted index calculated from values for
the major traits contributing to field heat tolerance should be
used to express differences among cultivars.
4. The major value of heat tolerance should provide
the opportunity to increase biomass and grain yield by lengthening
the growing period.
Publications.
Dong H, Quick JS, Brigham DL, Bjostad LB, Rudolph
JB, and Peairs FB. 1994. Leaf unrolling of three wheat genotypes
in Russian wheat aphid extracts. Cereal Res Commun 22:375-370.
Dong H and Quick JS. 1995. Inheritance and allelism
of resistance to the Russian wheat aphid in seven wheat lines.
Euphytica 81:299-303.
Dong H and Quick JS. 1995. Detection of a 2.6 kb
single/low copy DNA sequence on chromosomes of wheat (Triticum
aestivum) and rye (Secale cerele) by fluorescence in
situ hybridization. Genome 38:246-249.
Morgan JA, Zerbi G, Martin M, Mujahid MY, and Quick
JS. 1993. Carbon isotope discrimination and productivity in
winter wheat. J Agron and Crop Sci 171:289-297.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Department of Agronomy, Griffin, GA 30212, USA.
J.W. Johnson, B.M. Cunfer, J.J. Roberts, and G.D. Buntin.
The 1995 Georgia winter wheat crop was grown on
about 400,000 harvested acres and produced a state average yield
of 38 bushels per acre compared to last year's state record
of 52 bushels per acre. Low yields were caused by several factors,
which included late planting because of wet conditions in November.
Weather conditions from late January to early March were extremely
warm (the second warmest winter on record), which resulted in
vernalization problems for late-maturing cultivars. Dry conditions
during the grain-filling period severely affected the late-maturing
cultivars. Powdery mildew and leaf rust also were major factors
contributing to low yields.
Waterlogging. The effects
of root-zone CO2 enrichment and hypoxia on plant growth responses
showed that hypoxia alone reduced plant growth parameters for
both the sensitive cultivar Bayles and the tolerant cultivar Savannah,
but to a greater extent in Bayles. CO2 enrichment under hypoxia
enhanced plant growth parameters to a larger degree for the tolerant
Savannah. CO2 enrichment with adequate O2 supply had a detrimental
effect on root growth, but caused no adverse effects on shoot
growth. Interspecific differences in aerenchyma development and
waterlogging tolerance are related to differences in root sensitivity
to ethylene. The optimal ethylene concentrations for root growth
and the formation of aerenchyma was simulated for the two wheat
cultivars.
Breeding. A modified
pool analysis was used as a method for identifying DNA markers
linked to Hessian flyresistance gene, H21, located
on 2B·2R. A primer was identified that was present in resistance
lines for H21 and not in susceptible lines. The unique
PCR product for resistance was highly repeatable, easily detectable,
and tightly linked, which is very useful for screening for plants
with H21. Temperature effects on resistance to powdery
mildew showed that some resistance genes were much less effective
at a lower temperature than at a warmer temperature. The variation
in severity for wheat powdery mildew among seasons in the field
could be attributed at least partly, to temperature sensitivity
of Pm genes.
Plant pathology. Two
elite, wheat lines with a high level of partial resistance to
Stagonospora nodorum were consistently superior to other
lines in extensive field and greenhouse testing during the past
4 years. GA85410AB is resistant to the current populations of
powdery mildew and leaf rust in the Southeast and also is resistant
to the Hessian fly. GA85059 is susceptible to powdery mildew
and Hessian fly, but resistant to leaf rust. Both lines will
be released as germplasm in 1996.
A survey was conducted for Pythium species
in rye field soils in Georgia and at a limited number of sites
in Alabama and Florida during 1994 and 1995. Of the 705 Pythium-like
isolates recovered, 504 could be identified to species. Seven
of the 11 Pythium species identified were saprophytic as
determined by pathogenicity tests on rye seedlings. Pythium
aphanidermatum and P. myriotylum were the most virulent
pathogens, causing pre-emergence damping off and seed rotting.
These species are adapted to temperatures above 30 C and are
associated with damping off when rye is planted early in the fall
for forage production. Pythium aphanidermatum was found
primarily in the southern part of the state in the coastal plain
region. Pythium myriotylum was found only at Quincy, Florida.
Pythium irregulare and P. ultimum var. ultimum
caused post-emergence damping off and retarded seedling growth.
Both species were found frequently throughout Georgia. These
two species are the ones most likely to be associated with poor
stand establishment and reduced early-season growth.
Cereal rust research. Early-season
cereal rust surveys revealed substantial overwintering of rusts
in the coastal plains. Wheat leaf rust samples were collected
from Plains, GA; Marianna, FL; and Headland, Fairhope, Brewton,
and Monroeville, AL, in January. The severity on seedlings ranged
from trace to 75 % and the incidence from trace to 100 %. Thus,
massive amounts of inoculum were provided for the 1995 season.
As expected, based on these early observations, wheat leaf rust
also was very severe throughout the season in the entire Southeast.
Many soft wheat cultivars now require fungicide protection in
order to enable profitable production.
The joint release of 12 wheat leaf rust-resistant
germplasm lines (Ceruga 7-18) was approved by the University
of Georgia and the USDA-ARS. These lines represent highly effective
sources of resistance to rust in agronomically acceptable types.
The lines have been distributed to both public and private cereal
breeders, primarily in the Southeast for use in developing rust
resistant cultivars.
Entomology. Species composition
and seasonal abundance of thrips were studied in winter wheat
and winter rye during three seasons in the coastal plain region
of Georgia. Thrips' abundance also was examined in wild
radish, Raphanus raphanistrum L., a common annual winter
weed in small-grains fields. Limothrips cerealium (Haliday)
and Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) were the two dominant species
comprising greater than 89 % of the adult thrips collected in
both crops. Frankliniella tritici (Fitch), F. bispinosa
(Morgan), F. occidentalis (Pergande), F. williamsi
Hood, Haplothrips graminis Hood, and Plesiothrips perplexus
(Beach) also were collected in low numbers in most years. Winter
rye supported breeding populations of F. fusca during the
autumn, winter, and early spring. Very few thrips of any species
were collected in winter wheat before spike emergence in March.
However, large numbers of F. fusca and L. cerealium
developed in wheat during the spring. Winter rye also served
as a spring host for these thrips, but population increases were
limited by grazing and early crop destruction.
Differences in F. fusca phenology between
wheat and rye probably are related to crop planting time. Rye
for grazing is planted about 6 weeks earlier than the wheat for
grain production. Small grains grown for grain production presumably
are planted too late for colonization by F. fusca in autumn.
Although F. tritici, F. bispinosa, and F. occidentalis
adults were present in the spring, these thrips probably did not
breed extensively in wheat or rye. However, flowering wild radish
in wheat fields supported large populations of F. tritici
and F. occidentalis in late winter and spring. Therefore,
winter small-grains, particularly wheat, are important sources
of F. fusca and L. cerealium that attack summer
hosts. Small grains are not major sources of other Frankliniella
spp., except possibly F. williamsi, but wild radish within
winter small grains probably is an important spring source of
F. tritici and F. occidentalis.
Publications.
Black MJ. 1995. Pythium as a probable cause
of poor stand establishment of Georgia winter rye. M.S. thesis.
University of Georgia. 57 pp.
Black MJ and Cunfer BM. 1995. Identification and
pathogenicity of Pythium species associated with winter
rye in Georgia. Phytopath (Abstract) 85:1169.
BunBuntin GD and Beshear RJ. 1995. Seasonal abundance
of thrips (Thysanoptera) on winter small grains in Georgia. Environ
Entomol 24:1216-1223.
Cunfer BM and Johnson JW. 1995. Sources of resistance
to Stagonospora nodorum in soft red winter wheat. Phytopath
(Abstract) 85:1169.
Ge Y, Johnson JW, Roberts JJ, and Rajaram S. 1995.
Interactions of temperature and Pm genes in the expression of
host resistance to wheat powdery mildew. Agron Abstr p 88.
Huang B and Johnson JW. 1995. Root respiration
and carbohydrate status of two wheat genotypes in response to
hypoxia. Ann Bot 75:427-432.
Huang B, Johnson JW, and NeSmith DS. 1995. Effects
of root-zone CO2 enrichment on growth and gas exchange for wheat
genotypes differing in waterlogged tolerance. Ann Bot (In press).
Huang B, NeSmith DS, Johnson JW, and Bridges DC.
1995. Responses of squash to the combined effects of salinity
and waterlogging and subsequent drainage. I. Root and shoot
growth. J Plant Nutr 18:141-152.
Huang B, NeSmith DS, Johnson JW, and Bridges DC.
1995. Responses of squash to the combined effects of salinity
and waterlogging and subsequent drainage. I. Gas exchange, water
relations and nitrogen status. J Plant Nutr 18:127-140.
Huang B, Johnson JW, and NeSmith DS. 1995. Response
of wheat genotypes to root-zone CO2 enrichment. Agron Abstr p.
104.
Johnson JW. 1995. Breeding for facultative wheats
in the Southeastern US. International Workshop on Facultative
and Double Purpose Wheat, Colonia, Uruguay.
Johnson JW, Huang B, Box JE, and NeSmith DS. 1995.
Sensitivity to ethylene of wheat genotypes differing in waterlogging
tolerance. Agron Abstr p. 104.
Long DL and Roberts JJ. 1995. Utilizing a large
database to study leaf rust race and virulence gene distribution.
Poster and Proceedings 1995 Southern Small Grain Workers Conference,
Raleigh, NC. 1995.
Long DL, Roberts JJ, Leonard KJ, and McVey DL. The
role of the USDA-ARS Cereal Rust Laboratory virulence surveys.
Phytopath (Abstract) 85: 1168.
McVey DL, Long DL, and Roberts JJ. 1996. Races
of Puccinia graminis in the United States during
1994. Plant Dis 80:85-89.
Roberts JJ, Cunfer BM, and Padgett B. 1995. Diseases.
In: 1994-95 Small Grains Performance Tests (Day JG, Raymer
PL, and Coy AE eds). The University of Georgia Agricultural Experiment
Station Res Rep #636.
Roelfs AP, Long DL, and Roberts JJ. 1995. Races
of Puccinia graminis in the United States during
1993. Plant Dis 79:969-972.
Seo W, Johnson JW, Jarrett RL, and Buntin GD. 1995.
Identification of a random amplified polymorphic DNA marker tightly
linked to H21 in wheat. Agron Abstr p. 168.
Wilkinson RE and Roberts JJ. 1995. Gibberellic
Acid Analogs Modification of Epicuticular Wax. In: Plant
Lipid Metabolism (Kader JC and Mazliak P eds). Kluwer Academic
Publishers. Pp. 453-455.
Wilkinson RE and Roberts JJ. 1995. Wheat leaf epicuticular
characteristics as rust inhibitors. 5th European Conference on
Chemistry and the Environment, Budapest, Hungary.
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
Plant and Soil Science Department, Moscow, ID 83343, USA and
the Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box AA, Aberdeen, ID
83210, USA.
R. Zemetra, E. Souza, S. Guy, S. Quisenberry, P. Berger, M. Lauver, J. Windes, M. Moore, J. Hansen, P. Shiel, and P. McCarthy.
Production.
The 1995 Idaho winter wheat production was 58.5 million
bushels, a 2.6 % increase from 1994. The slight increase can
be attributed to favorable moisture conditions during the crop
growing year. The higher average yield (76 bu/acre) can be attributed
to the favorable growing conditions in 1995. Because of climatic
conditions, an increase in lodging and foliar diseases such as
stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) were observed. Statistics
for Idaho winter wheat production for the last 5 years are shown
in Table 1.
Table 1. Statistics for Idaho winter wheat production, 1990ñ1995.
________________________________________________________________
Year Acres planted Acres harvested Yield Production (bu)
x 1,000 x 1,000 bu/acre x 1,000
________________________________________________________________
1991 870 700 70 49,000
1992 870 800 65 52,000
1993 920 850 79 67,000
1994 840 790 72 57,000
1995 830 770 76 58,500
________________________________________________________________
Three wheat cultivars were approved for release by
the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station: `Whitebird',
`Pomerelle', and `Idaho 377s'.
Whitebird is a mid-season, soft white spring wheat with average
yield levels similar to those of Penawawa and test weight and
pastry quality superior to those of Penawawa. Pomerelle is a
lateseason cultivar to replace the soft white spring wheat
Treasure, with better lodging resistance, test weight, and dryland
yield production. Idaho 377s is a hard white wheat with high
starch viscosity, intermediate gluten strength, and low PPO activity.
Idaho 377s was developed for use primarily in Asian noodles,
but may have applications as a replacement for hard red winter
wheat. Seed for research purposes is available for the three
spring wheats and can be obtained by writing to E. Souza.
Russian wheat aphid resistance.
Three RWA-resistant wheats: ID0471A, IDO471B, and
ID0472 were released as germplasm lines. The ID0471 lines are
second backcrosses to Centennial soft white spring wheat and carry
the Dn6 gene. ID0472 is a second backcross to Penawawa
and carries the Dn1 gene. Seed of the RWA-resistant spring
wheats is available for research purposes from E. Souza. Two soft
white winter wheat lines, ID10079 and ID10085, with resistance
derived from PI 294994 were field tested. Both equaled their
recurrent parent (Daws or Stephens)for yield and end-use quality.
With ID10079, end-use quality exceeded that of its recurrent
parent Daws. Seed for research purposes for these two RWAresistant
soft white winter wheats can be obtained by writing to R. Zemetra.
Virus coat protein-mediated resistance to WSMV was
observed in wheat transformed with a WSMV-cp gene. Expression
of the coat protein was confirmed using western blot analysis.
Probable virus coat protein-mediated resistance was observed
in wheat transformed with a BYDV-cp gene. Two spring wheat cultivars,
Centennial and Vandal, were transformed using cotransformation.
Personnel.
Sharron Quisenberry accepted a position as department
head of entomology at the University of Nebraska. Todd Linscott
started a Ph.D. program with R. Zemetra. His research project
will involve the use of molecular markers for mapping genes in
wheat. Josh Udall started a masters program with E. Souza. His
research program will be identifying molecular markers linked
to starch quality in wheat.
Publications.
Beer SC, Souza E, and Sorrells ME. 1995. Prediction
of genotype performance from ancestral relationship in oat. Crop
Sci 35:50-53.
Guy SO, Tablas-Romero H, and Heikkinen MK. 1995.
Agronomic responses of winter wheat cultivars to management systems.
J Prod Agric 8:529-535.
Rafi MM, Zemetra RS, and Dempster K. 1995. Effects
of abscisic acid on wheat callus cultures. Cereal Res Commun
23:375-382.
Rafi MM, Zemetra RS, and Quisenberry SS. 1996.
Interaction between Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae)
and resistant and susceptible genotypes of wheat. J Econom Entomol
89:239-246.
Rafi MM, Zemetra RS, and Berger PH. 1996. Jasmonic
acid-methyl ester induced protein profile modifications in wheat
(Triticum aestivum L.). Acta Physiol Plant (In press).
Souza E, Windes JM, Sunderman DW, Whitmore J, Kruk
M, and Goates B. 1995. Registration of `Bonneville'
hard red winter wheat. Crop Sci 35:1218-1219.
Souza E, Kruk M, and Sunderman DM. 1995. Association
of sugar-snap cookie quality with high-molecular weight glutenin
alleles in soft white spring wheat. Cereal Chem 71:602-605.
Souza E. 1996. Host plant resistance to the Russian
wheat aphid in wheat and barley. In: Russian Wheat Aphid:
A Response Model for an Introduced Pest (Peairs F and Quisenberry
SS ed). Thomas Say Publications in Entomology and the Entomol
Soc of Amer (In press).
Windes JM, Souza E, Sunderman DW, and Goates B.
1995. Registration of four dwarf bunt resistant wheat germplasm.
Idaho 352, Idaho 364, Idaho 443, and Idaho 444. Crop Sci 35:1239-1240.
Zemetra RS, Liu CT, Kronstad WE, Lauver M, and Haugerud N. 1995. Registration of `Lambert' wheat. Crop Sci 35:1222.