Spot form of net blotch (SFNB), caused by the fungus Pyrenophora teres f. maculata, was first described in Denmark in the 1960s and is now a prevalent foliar disease of barley in many countries. This disease should be controlled as a separate disease-causing organism from the net form of net blotch (NFNB), which is caused by P. teres f. teres. The increase in prevalence of SFNB is primarily due to stubble retention and cultivation of susceptible varieties, which have resulted in increased inoculum. Infected barley stubble is the primary inoculum source for SFNB, producing both asexual spores (conidia) and sexual spores (ascospores) from pseudothecia. Spot form of net blotch causes significant losses in grain yield and quality in situations where inoculum is present, susceptible varieties are cultivated, and where the climate is cool and moist. Cultivation of resistant varieties is the most cost-effective method for control of SFNB and more than 12 different resistance sources have been identified in barley germplasm and wild barley relatives. The resistance loci of 11 of these have been mapped. Control of SFNB can also be achieved with application of foliar fungicides, crop rotation, and stubble destruction.

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Pyrenophora teres f. teres and P. teres f. maculata cause net form and spot form, respectively, of net blotch on barley (Hordeum vulgare). The two forms reproduce sexually, producing hybrids with genetic and pathogenic variability. Phenotypic identification of hybrids is challenging because lesions induced by hybrids on host plants resemble lesions induced by either P. teres f. teres or P. teres f. maculata. In this study, 12 sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction markers were developed based on expressed regions spread across the genome. The primers were validated using 210 P. teres isolates, 2 putative field hybrids (WAC10721 and SNB172), 50 laboratory-produced hybrids, and 7 isolates collected from barley grass (H. leporinum). The sequence-specific markers confirmed isolate WAC10721 as a hybrid. Only four P. teres f. teres markers amplified on DNA of barley grass isolates. Amplified fragment length polymorphism markers suggested that P. teres barley grass isolates are genetically different from P. teres barley isolates and that the second putative hybrid (SNB172) is a barley grass isolate. We developed a suite of markers which clearly distinguish the two forms of P. teres and enable unambiguous identification of hybrids.

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A collection of 253 synthetic hexaploid wheats (SHWs) produced from 192 Aegilops tauschii accessions and 39 elite durum varieties were studied to identify, characterise, and evaluate potentially untapped diversity of disease resistance in wheat. The diseases for which resistance was sought included cereal cyst nematode (CCN), root lesion nematode (RLN), Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB), Septoria tritici blotch (STB), and the 3 rusts, leaf rust, stem rust, and stripe rust, all important diseases of bread wheat worldwide, which can severely reduce wheat yield and quality. The SHWs exhibited a wide spectrum of resistance to the 8 pathogens. The frequency of disease-resistant SHWs ranged from 1% for one species of RLN (Pratylenchus neglectus), 3% and 10% for Septoria nodorum leaf and glume blotch, 10% for seedling resistance to yellow leaf spot, 16% for CCN, 21% for the second species of RLN (Pratylenchus thornei), 73% for Septoria tritici blotch, and 15%, 40%, and 24% for leaf rust, stem rust, and stripe rust, respectively. Five SHWs, Aus26860, Aus30258, Aus30294, Aus30301, and Aus30304, exhibited high levels of resistance to CCN, YLP, STB, LR, and SR, while 56 SHWs showed resistance to either 3 or 4 diseases. The genetics of resistance to CCN in some of the SHWs revealed that some of the accessions carry the same CCN gene(s) against pathotype Ha13, while others may carry different resistance gene(s). Additional studies were carried out to understand the relationship between the resistances identified in SHWs and the ones already present in common wheat, in particular the resistance genes Cre1 and Cre3 against CCN. The use of perfect markers associated with Cre1 and Cre3 suggested that some SHWs may carry a new CCN resistance gene(s), which could be deployed in breeding programs to increase the diversity of available resistance. The identification of SHWs with resistance to a range of diseases provides an opportunity to generate genetic knowledge and resistant germplasm to be used in future variety development.