Abstract
The wheat stem rust resistance gene Sr6, present in several wheat cultivars, confers a high level of resistance against a wide range of races of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici. Resistance conferred by Sr6 is influenced by temperature, light intensity, and genetic background of the recipient genotype. Here, we report the identification and validation of molecular markers linked to Sr6 that can be used for the detection of this gene in wheat breeding programs. A mapping population of 136 F2 plants and their F2:3 families derived from a cross between near-isogenic lines, 'Chinese Spring' and ISr6-Ra, were screened for stem rust reaction in the seedling stage. Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) based on seedling tests was used to screen 418 SSR markers that covered the entire genome of wheat. Four markers, Xwmc453, Xcfd43, Xcfd77, and Xgwm484, were mapped within a chromosome region that spanned 9.7 cM from Sr6. The closest markers, Xwmc453 and Xcfd43, were linked to Sr6 at a distance of 1.1 and 1.5 cM, respectively. The markers Xwmc453 and Xcfd43 amplified Sr6-specific marker alleles that were diagnostic for Sr6 in a diverse set of 46 wheat accessions and breeding lines developed and/or collected in Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, and USA. These markers can now be used for marker-assisted selection of Sr6 and for pyramiding it with other stem rust resistance genes.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 515-524 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Theoretical and Applied Genetics |
| Volume | 118 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2009 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors thank Lucille Wanschura for assistance in preparing the stem rust inoculum. Financial support for this work came from the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Compton International Fellowship, National Research Foundation of South Africa, Department of Science and Technology of South Africa, Agricultural Research Council of South Africa, and the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service.