Identifying novel sources of resistance to wheat stem sawfly in five wild wheat species

by Erika S Peirce, Byron Evers, Zachary J Winn, W John Raupp, Mary Guttieri, Allan K Fritz, Jesse Poland, Eduard Akhunov, Scott Haley, Esten Mason, Punya Nachappa
Scientific Research Year: 2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.8008

Abstract

The wheat stem sawfly (WSS, Cephus cinctus) is a major pest of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and can cause significant yield losses. WSS damage results from stem boring and/or cutting, leading to the lodging of wheat plants. Although solid-stem wheat genotypes can effectively reduce larval survival, they may have lower yields than hollow-stem genotypes and show inconsistent solidness expression. Because of limited resistance sources to WSS, evaluating diverse wheat germplasm for novel resistance genes is crucial. We evaluated 91 accessions across five wild wheat species (Triticum monococcumT. urartuT. turgidumT. timopheevii, and Aegilops tauschii) and common wheat cultivars (T. aestivum) for antixenosis (host selection) and antibiosis (host suitability) to WSS. Host selection was measured as the number of eggs after adult oviposition, and host suitability was determined by examining the presence or absence of larval infestation within the stem. The plants were grown in the greenhouse and brought to the field for WSS infestation. In addition, a phylogenetic analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the WSS traits and phylogenetic clustering.

Keywords

host plant resistance Cephus cinctus genetic diversity phylogenetic analysis hollow stem