Exploration of synthetic wheats for resistance to Septoria leaf blotch disease
SLB is one of the most damaging foliar diseases of wheat caused by the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. High levels of genetic diversity and a very large population size drive evolution of resistance to fungicides and breakdown of host disease resistance. Breeding wheats with high level of SLB resistance is a priority. NIAB have developed a series of synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) lines from crosses between different durum wheat and wild goat grass accessions, and these and derived mapping populations are being screened for resistance to SLB under controlled and field conditions. Our results to date revealed high level of resistance among SHWs under controlled and field conditions. Further, we identified several genome regions carrying resistance to multiple fungal isolates. These will be further defined, and the resistance mechanisms explored. This will provide a novel genetic armoury in the breeding of multi-isolate resistant wheats for sustainable SLB management.