Multi-Environment Screening of Wild Wheat Introgression Lines for Reaction to Wheat Stem Sawfly

Project Summary:

Wheat stem sawfly (WSS; Cephus cinctus Norton) has historically been confined to the northern United States’ great plains region and southern Canada, yet due to shifts in weather over time, WSS has become a pernicious and progressively worsening pest across the majority of the US great plains region. The solid stem phenotype, conferred by the Sst1 locus, has been the main form of deployed genetic resistance to WSS in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L). However, the genetic penetrance of the Sst1 locus is inconsistent, there may be a yield reduction associated with the locus, and the locus is subject to environment-by-gene interactions. To ensure domestic food security, grower profitability, and maintain international influence, US researchers must devote their time to the identification of dependable, non-solid-stem related forms of resistance. In the proposed work, CSU intends to collaborate with the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to screen wild wheat introgression lines with putative antibiosis related resistances in both field and greenhouse settings.