Pre-breeding for the development of regionally adapted and virus-resistant wheat varieties as an adaptation to climate change in plant production
Abstract
Insect-borne cereal viruses are considered the 'winners' of climate change. Winter cereals, especially winter barley and winter wheat, are under increased pressure for infection with Wheat dwarf virus (WDV), Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV). Cereal plants are most susceptible to these viruses at the juvenile stage. The viruses are transmitted by sucking insects (vectors): WDV is transmitted by a dwarf cicada (Psammotettix alienus), BYDY and CYDV by several aphid species. The activity of the vectors is dependent on temperature and thus weather conditions. Rising temperatures increase the mobility of the vectors. In particular, longer periods of warm temperatures in the fall, in some years into early winter, which are increasingly common, increase the risk of viruses to our cereal crops. The extent of damage varies depending on the degree of infestation; heavily infested crops can lead to total failure. In the project, the necessary preliminary work (pre-breeding) for breeding 1) new resistant breeding lines will be carried out and 2) effective selection methods will be developed, with a focus on resistance to WDV, because WDV is of increasing importance in wheat in Central Europe. In work package 1, the genetic variation in the current breeding material will be examined in multi-site field trials and selection markers for quantitative resistance will be sought. In work package 2, a highly effective resistance factor on chromosome 6A recently discovered by us in an old Eastern European variety will be introduced into regionally adapted winter wheat variety candidates. Overall, the expected new findings on the inheritance of virus resistance and the newly developed pre-breeding material with improved virus resistance represent an essential step towards future-fit wheat varieties and the sustainable safeguarding of wheat cultivation in Austria.
- Wheat
- Climate Change
- Viruses
- Resistance Breeding
Project staff
Hermann Bürstmayr
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Hermann Bürstmayr
hermann.buerstmayr@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-97101, 97102
Project Leader
01.04.2024 - 31.07.2027
Sebastian Michel
Dr. Sebastian Michel M.Sc.
sebastian.michel@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-97105
Project Staff
01.04.2024 - 31.07.2027
Barbara Steiner
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Barbara Steiner
barbara.steiner@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-97105
Project Staff
01.04.2024 - 31.07.2027
BOKU partners
External partners
Saatzucht Edelhof
none
partner
Landwirtschaftliche Fachschule Zwettl-Edelhof
Dipl.Ing. Elisabeth Zechner
partner
Saatzucht Donau GmbH & Co KG
Dr. Herbert Bistrich
partner