Researchers transfer disease resistance from wild grass into wheat
Scientists have developed a new wheat hybrid that shows strong resistance to Fusarium Head Blight, a serious fungal disease that affects wheat crops worldwide. The disease lowers grain yields and produces harmful toxins that can make food unsafe for humans and livestock.
The breakthrough comes from using Elymus repens, commonly known as couch grass, a wild relative of wheat. Because the two plants are genetically related, scientists were able to cross them and transfer helpful disease‑resistant traits into wheat.
The study was led by researchers Fei Wang, Dr Yinghui Li, and Houyang Kang, whose team identified a new genetic region in Elymus repens that provides powerful protection against the disease. This resistant region was successfully introduced into wheat, creating a new hybrid.
“Both research and breeding practice have shown that developing and deploying resistant wheat cultivars is the fundamental solution to FHB,” said Fei Wang. “However, current efforts are limited by a scarcity of major resistance sources, narrow genetic backgrounds and inefficient use of resistance genes.”
In testing, the new wheat hybrid showed impressive results. Under greenhouse conditions, infected plants had nearly 70 percent fewer diseased spikelets compared to regular wheat. In field trials, disease levels were reduced by about 60 percent. These results show that the hybrid performs well in both controlled and real farming environments.
The resistance comes from a newly identified genetic locus named Fhb.Er‑1StL. Scientists confirmed that this resistance is completely new and different from previously known sources, making it a valuable addition to crop breeding programs.
This is the third disease‑resistant trait discovered by the same research group from Elymus repens. Earlier findings have also contributed useful resistance genes, helping expand the genetic options available to wheat breeders.
The research was conducted by teams from Sichuan Agricultural University and its State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in China, with international collaboration. The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Botany.
“We believe this work is of practical importance for accelerating the breeding of resistant, high-yielding wheat varieties and breaking the bottleneck in FHB resistance breeding,” said Dr Yinghui Li.
Researchers believe this discovery can help speed up the development of high‑yielding, disease‑resistant wheat varieties. Using diverse genetic resources like wild grasses may play a key role in protecting future food supplies.
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