Biotech Updates

Cell Wall Traits for a FHB Resistant Durum Wheat

January 21, 2015

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a major fungal disease in durum wheat caused by Fusarium gramineum. FHB infected durum wheat suffers grain yield losses and reduced quality. With this problem, researchers from Sapienza Università di Roma, University of Bari "Aldo Moro" and Iowa State University conducted a study on durum wheat to increase its resistance against the disease. This was conducted by examining and comparing an FHB resistant common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum wheat to identify the traits associated with FHB resistance.

Their findings suggest that the FHB resistant common wheat does not share similar cell wall traits with durum wheat. These differences were observed in the lignin monolignols composition, arabinoxylan substitutions and pectin methylesterification. The presence of WheatPME1, a gene identified in the pectin methylesterification, was found to be the main gene involved in FHB resistance. These results will help in developing durum wheat with resistance against FHB.

Read the details of their study at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2229/15/6