Identification of novel sources of resistance for fusarium head blight among ethiopian bread wheat germplasm
Abstract
Wheat is one of the world's leading crops and takes a significant role for food security around the globe. The production of wheat becomes large over time both in area coverage and volume of grain production. Despite the expansion, production and productivity of wheat is constrain by several fungal pathogens of which FHB is one that caused huge losses in both quantity and quality. This study was executed with the intention to ascertain promising sources of fusarium headlight resistance among Ethiopian bread wheat breeding pipelines for durable resistance breeding. A total of 578 (288 PVT and 290 NVT) advanced bread wheat pipelines, along with local susceptible check cultivars Alidoro and Wane were field tested in partially replicated augmented design at Kulumsa agricultural research center, hot-spot for fusarium headblight for their field response. Diseases severity data was assessed based on a standard five digit rating scale and put in to different classes. Out of 288 PVT lines 7.3%, 35%, 41.6%, 12.8% and 3.1%; and out of 290 NVT lines 1.7%, 51.1%, 32.4%, 14.1% and 0.7% showed immune, resistant, moderately resistant, moderately susceptible and susceptible response respectively. However, none of the lines had very susceptible infection types, >75% severity. On the other hand, susceptible check varieties scored 5(>75%) diseases severity indicating that season and location were ideal to screen genotypes. The result confirmed that considerable amount of test genotypes namely; EBW193155, EBW202086, EBW202084, EBW202116, EBW193169, EBW202005, EBW192386, EBW202025, EBW192907, EBW192065, EBW193404, EBW193105 and EBW202057 from Pre-variety trials as well as EBW150113, EBW193004, EBW193027, EBW193045, EBW150046, EBW150047 and EBW150048 from national variety trials (NVT) showed immune to resistant infection type along with promising agronomic performance thus, could be used for durable FHB resistance breeding in wheat.