AUTHOR=Mu Jingmei , Liu Lu , Liu Yan , Wang Meinan , See Deven R. , Han Dejun , Chen Xianming 

TITLE=Genome-Wide Association Study and Gene Specific Markers Identified 51 Genes or QTL for Resistance to Stripe Rust in U.S. Winter Wheat Cultivars and Breeding Lines

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2020.00998

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2020.00998

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Stripe (yellow) rust, caused by fungal pathogen <italic>Puccinia striiformis</italic> f. sp. <italic>tritici</italic> (<italic>Pst</italic>), is a serious disease of wheat in the United States and many other countries. Growing resistant cultivars has been approved to be the best approach for control of stripe rust. To determine stripe rust resistance genes in U.S. winter wheat cultivars and breeding lines, we analyzed a winter wheat panel of 857 cultivars and breeding lines in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using genotyping by multiplexed sequencing (GMS) and by genotyping with molecular markers of 18 important stripe rust resistance genes or quantitative trait loci (QTL). The accessions were phenotyped for stripe rust response at adult-plant stage under natural infection in Pullman and Mount Vernon, Washington in 2018 and 2019, and in the seedling stage with six predominant or most virulent races of <italic>Pst</italic>. A total of 51 loci were identified to be related to stripe rust resistance, and at least 10 of them (<italic>QYrww.wgp.1D-3</italic>, <italic>QYrww.wgp.2B-2</italic>, <italic>QYrww.wgp.2B-3</italic>, <italic>QYrww.wgp.2B-4</italic>, <italic>QYrww.wgp.3A</italic>, <italic>QYrww.wgp.5A</italic>, <italic>QYrww.wgp.5B</italic>, <italic>QYrww.wgp.5D</italic>, <italic>QYrww.wgp.6A-2</italic> and <italic>QYrww.wgp.7B-3</italic>) were previously reported. These genes or QTL were found to be present at different frequencies in breeding lines and cultivars developed by breeding programs in various winter wheat growing regions. Both <italic>Yr5</italic> and <italic>Yr15</italic>, which are highly resistant to all races identified thus far in the U.S., as well as <italic>Yr46</italic> providing resistance to many races, were found absent in the breeding lines and commercially grown cultivars. The identified genes or QTL and their markers are useful in breeding programs to improve the level and durability of resistance to stripe rust.</p>