Scientific Journal

Analysis of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) Resistance in Elite Wheat Lines from the North Warm and Humid Zone of Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Cereal Research Department, Seed & Plant Improvement Institute (SPII), AREEO, Karaj, Iran

2 Golestan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Gorgan, Iran

3 Ardabil Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Parsabad, Iran

Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB), primarily inflicted by Fusarium graminearum, is a devastating wheat disease, particularly in regions where flowering coincides with warm and humid conditions. In addition to reducing crop yield, FHB poses significant threats to human and animal health as well as food safety due to the production of different types of mycotoxins in infected grains. In Iran, FHB is among the most significant wheat diseases in the North warm and humid regions, including Golestan and Mazandaran provinces as well as in the warm areas of Moghan in Ardabil province. However, under favorable weather conditions, the FHB disease can spread to other parts of Iran and potentially lead to epidemics. To this end, several methods, including agronomic, chemical, biological, and the use of resistant cultivars are employed for the FHB disease management.Among such methods, the use of resistant cultivars is considered the most practical, most economical, and environmentally sound method for sustainable control of the FHB disease. The first step in developing FHB disease-resistant wheat cultivars is to evaluate existing cultivars or breeding lines for their resistance to the FHB disease and to identify the most resistant genotypes. To this end, the response of 20 elite wheat lines from the North warm and humid zone of Iran along with the susceptible check cultivar Falat was evaluated for FHB disease resistance under field conditions in Gorgan, Golestan province and Moghan, Ardabil province, Iran in 2014-15 and in Moghan in 2015-16. In order to identify type II resistance in these lines, their response to the disease was also evaluated in the greenhouse in Karaj, Iran. Based on the results of this study, wheat lines with sufficient resistance to FHB were identified for use in breeding programs and potential release in the northern regions of Iran.

Keywords