Fusarium head blight (FHB) remains a serious problem due to yield loss and mycotoxin accumulation in wheat production worldwide. We previously reported that the closed‐flowering (no anther extrusion) characteristic was effective for increasing resistance to FHB infection. In this study, we investigated the relationships between the degree of anther extrusion (AE) and FHB damage using double haploid lines (DHLs), derived from F1 plants from crosses between closed‐flowering and opened‐flowering varieties. These DHLs exhibited various degrees of AE, and the degree of AE was significantly different among DHLs, regardless of the year and environment (pot‐ or field‐grown). FHB severity was the lowest in closed‐flowering DHLs, and DHLs with partially extruded anthers showed significantly higher FHB symptoms than those with closed‐flowering phenotypes. In general, DHLs with partially extruded anthers also had relatively severe FHB symptoms compared with those exhibiting full anther extrusion. FHB severity was significantly correlated with Fusarium‐damaged kernels and deoxynivalenol concentration. The results of this study showed that partially extruded anthers were considered to be a source of FHB infection. The closed‐flowering phenotype improved resistance to FHB infection. Meanwhile, phenotypes with rapid anther extrusion and ejection also could contribute to the avoidance of FHB infection.

The fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici causes wheat powdery mildew disease. Here, we study its spread and evolution by analyzing a global sample of 172 mildew genomes. Our analyses show that B.g. tritici emerged in the Fertile Crescent during wheat domestication. After it spread throughout Eurasia, colonization brought it to America, where it hybridized with unknown grass mildew species. Recent trade brought USA strains to Japan, and European strains to China. In both places, they hybridized with local ancestral strains. Thus, although mildew spreads by wind regionally, our results indicate that humans drove its global spread throughout history and that mildew rapidly evolved through hybridization.

In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance is an important breeding target to reduce yield losses and mycotoxin contamination. We hypothesized that cleistogamous (CL, closed flowering) cultivars have a lower risk of FHB infection than chasmogamous (CH, opened flowering) cultivars because FHB infection usually occurs in the inside of florets or extracted anthers and FHB resistance in CL cultivars decreases mycotoxin accumulation. To test these hypotheses, we produced 126 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between common wheat varieties 'U24' (CL variety) and 'Saikai 165' (CH variety). Although 'U24' and 'Saikai 165' are both resistant to FHB infection, 'U24' is susceptible to FHB spread, grain deterioration, and mycotoxin accumulation compared with 'Saikai 165'. Among the RILs, there were significant differences in all of the tested traits. Although the CL RILs showed less initial FHB infection than CH RILs, there were no significant differences in grain deterioration and mycotoxin accumulation between the 2 groups. An FHB-resistant quantitative trait locus (QTL) located on chromosome 3BS increased resistance to FHB spread, grain deterioration, and mycotoxin accumulation; however, not all CL RILs with this QTL accumulated less mycotoxin than 'Saikai 165'.

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