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Wheat is one of the main sources of calories and protein of the world's population and therefore the pathogens that cause rust diseases of the crop are a real threat to food security. Besides the continuous evolution of rust pathogens which repeatedly results in overcoming the resistance of commercial varieties throughout the world, plant breeders are also now challenged by the impacts of global climatic changes. Agricultural practices will need to keep pace with the intensification of sustainable food production in order to face the challenge of feeding a world population estimated to reach about nine billion by 2050. Contemporary wheat breeding has increasingly focused on the future, culminating in the emergence of a global partnership for breeding new wheat varieties with resistance to rust pathogens. Plant breeding now employs a wide range of both long-established and frontier technologies aimed at achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals of ending hunger and extreme poverty (MDG1), while concurrently promoting environmental sustainability (MDG7) through global partnerships for development (MDG8).

SummaryIn animals, organic cation/carnitine transporters (OCTs) are involved in homeostasis and distribution of various small endogenous amines (e.g. carnitine, choline) and detoxification of xenobiotics such as nicotine. Here, we describe the characterization of AtOCT1, an Arabidopsis protein that shares most of the conserved features of mammalian plasma membrane OCTs. Transient expression of an AtOCT1::GFP fusion protein in onion epidermal cells and Arabidopsis protoplasts supported localization in the plasmalemma. AtOCT1 functionally complemented the Dcit2/Dagp2p yeast strain that is defective in plasma membrane carnitine transport. Disruption of AtOCT1 in an Arabidopsis oct1-1 knockout mutant affected both the expression of carnitine-related genes and the developmental defects induced by exogenous carnitine. RT-PCR and promoteruidA fusion analysis showed that AtOCT1 was expressed in vascular tissues of various organs and at sites of lateral root formation. Correlating with this expression pattern, oct1-1 seedlings grown in vitro exhibited a higher degree of root branching than the wild-type, showing that the disruption of AtOCT1 affected root development under certain conditions.

Background Wheat blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum (MoT) pathotype, is a global threat to wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) production. Few blast resistance ( R ) genes have been identified to date, therefore assessing potential sources of resistance in wheat is important. The Brazilian wheat cultivar BR 18-Terena is considered one of the best sources of resistance to blast and has been widely used in Brazilian breeding programmes, however the underlying genetics of this resistance are unknown. Results BR 18-Terena was used as the common parent in the development of two recombinant inbred line (RIL) F 6 populations with the Brazilian cultivars Anahuac 75 and BRS 179. Populations were phenotyped for resistance at the seedling and heading stage using the sequenced MoT isolate BR32, with transgressive segregation being observed. Genetic maps containing 1779 and 1318 markers, were produced for the Anahuac 75 × BR 18-Terena and BR 18-Terena × BRS 179 populations, respectively. Five quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with seedling resistance, on chromosomes 2B, 4B (2 QTL), 5A and 6A, were identified, as were four QTL associated with heading stage resistance (1A, 2B, 4A and 5A). Seedling and heading stage QTL did not co-locate, despite a significant positive correlation between these traits, indicating that resistance at these developmental stages is likely to be controlled by different genes. BR 18-Terena provided the resistant allele for six QTL, at both developmental stages, with the largest phenotypic effect conferred by a QTL being 24.8% suggesting that BR 18-Terena possesses quantitative resistance. Haplotype analysis of 100 Brazilian wheat cultivars indicates that 11.0% of cultivars already possess a BR 18-Terena-like haplotype for more than one of the identified heading stage QTL. Conclusions This study suggests that BR 18-Terena possesses quantitative resistance to wheat blast, with nine QTL associated with resistance at either the seedling or heading stage being detected. Wheat blast resistance is also largely tissue-specific. Identification of durable quantitative resistances which can be combined with race-specific R gene-mediated resistance is critical to effectively control wheat blast. Collectively, this work facilitates marker-assisted selection to develop new varieties for cultivation in regions at risk from this emerging disease.

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-The objective of this work was to assess the effect of sowing date on the intensity of wheat blast disease, as well as the yield losses caused by this disease in different wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes. The experiments were conducted in 2013 at the Sertãozinho experimental station of Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais (Epamig), in the municipality of Patos de Minas, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Fourteen wheat genotypes and two sowing dates were evaluated. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three replicates. The evaluated variables were: incidence, severity, thousand grain weight (TGW), grain yield, and yield losses. A disease index (DI) was calculated, based both on the incidence and the severity of the disease, to measure blast intensity in wheat. The sowing date significantly affected DI, TGW, and grain yield. Significant linear correlations were observed between DI and yield losses (0.89), between losses and TGW (-0.85), and between losses and grain yield (-0.93). For wheat blast, DIs greater than or equal to 0.5 indicate potential yield losses equal to or greater than 70%. The EP063030 line and the MGS Brilhante and BRS 264 cultivars are the most tolerant to blast, when exposed to high disease pressure.Index terms: Magnaporthe oryzae, Pyricularia oryzae, Triticum aestivum, disease index, severity, tolerance. Época de semeadura reduz a incidência da brusone do trigoResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da época de semeadura sobre a intensidade da brusone, bem como as perdas na produtividade causada por essa doença em genótipos de trigo (Triticum aestivum). Os experimentos foram conduzidos, em 2013, na Fazenda Experimental de Sertãozinho da Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais (Epamig), em Patos de Minas, MG. Catorze genótipos de trigo e duas datas de semeadura foram avaliados. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso com três repetições. As variáveis avaliadas foram: incidência, severidade, peso de mil grãos (PMG), rendimento de grãos e perdas de produtividade. Calculou-se o índice da doença (ID), com base tanto na incidência quanto na severidade, para medir a intensidade da brusone em trigo. A data de semeadura afetou significativamente ID, PMG e rendimento de grãos. Houve forte correlação linear entre ID e danos (0,89), entre danos e PMG (-0,85) e entre danos e rendimento (-0,93). Para a brusone do trigo, IDs iguais ou maiores que 0,5 indicam potencial de danos de rendimento iguais ou superiores a 70%. A linhagem EP063030 e as cultivares MGS Brilhante e BRS 264 são as mais tolerantes à brusone quando expostas à alta intensidade da doença.Termos para indexação: Magnaporthe oryzae, Pyricularia oryzae, Triticum aestivum, índice da doença, severidade, tolerância.

Wheat blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae Triticum (PoT) lineage, is a major constraint to wheat production, mainly in the tropics of Brazil where severe epidemics are more frequent. We analyzed disease and wheat yield data from 42 uniform field trials conducted during nine years (2012 to 2020) in order to assess whether the percent control and yield response were influenced by fungicide type, region (tropical or subtropical), and year. Six treatments were selected, all evaluated in at least 19 trials. Two fungicides were applied as solo active ingredients: MANCozeb, and TEBUconazole, and four were premixes: AZOXystrobin + TEBU, TriFLoXystrobin + PROThioconazole, TFLX + TEBU, and PYRAclostrobin + EPOXiconazole. Percent control, calculated from back-transforming estimates by a meta-analysis network model fitted to the log of the means, ranged from 43% to 58%, with all but PYRA + EPOX showing efficacy greater than 52% on average, not differing among them. The variation in both efficacy and yield response was explained by region and all but TEBU performed better in the subtropics than in the tropics. Yield response from using three sequential sprays was around two times greater in the subtropics (319 to 532 kg/ha) than in the tropics (149 to 241.3 kg/ha). No significant decline in fungicide efficacy or yield response was observed in nine years of study for any of the fungicides. Our results reinforce the need to improve control by adopting an integrated management approach in the tropics given the poorer performance and lower profitability, especially for the premixes, than in the subtropics.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the world’s most important crops. Maintaining wheat yield gains across all of its major production areas is a key target toward underpinning global food security. Brazil is a major wheat producer in South America, generating grain yields of around 6.8 million tons per year. Here, we establish and genotype a wheat association mapping resource relevant to contemporary Brazilian wheat breeding programs. The panel of 558 wheat accessions was genotyped using an Illumina iSelect 90,000 single nucleotide polymorphism array. Following quality control, the final data matrix consisted of 470 accessions and 22,475 polymorphic genetic markers (minor allele frequency ≥5%, missing data <5%). Principal component analysis identified distinct differences between materials bred predominantly for the northern Cerrado region, compared to those bred for southern Brazilian agricultural areas. We augmented the genotypic data with 26 functional Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers to identify the allelic combinations at genes with previously known effects on agronomically important traits in the panel. This highlighted breeding targets for immediate consideration – notably, increased Fusarium head blight resistance via the Fhb1 locus. To demonstrate the panel’s likely future utility, genome-wide association scans for several phenotypic traits were undertaken. Significant (Bonferroni corrected P < 0.05) marker-trait associations were detected for Fusarium kernel damage (a proxy for type 2 Fusarium resistance), identifying previously known quantitative trait loci in the panel. This association mapping panel represents an important resource for Brazilian wheat breeding, allowing future genetic studies to analyze multiple agronomic traits within a single genetically diverse population.