Deciphering resistance to Zymoseptoria tritici in the Tunisian durum wheat landrace accession 'Agili39'.

BACKGROUND: Septoria tritici blotch (STB), caused by Zymoseptoria tritici (Z. tritici), is an important biotic threat to durum wheat in the entire Mediterranean Basin. Although most durum wheat cultivars are susceptible to Z. tritici, research in STB resistance in durum wheat has been limited. RESULTS: In our study, we have identified resistance to a wide array of Z. tritici isolates in the Tunisian durum wheat landrace accession 'Agili39'. Subsequently, a recombinant inbred population was developed and tested under greenhouse conditions at the seedling stage with eight Z. tritici isolates and for five years under field conditions with three Z. tritici isolates. Mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) resulted in the identification of two major QTL on chromosome 2B designated as Qstb2B_1 and Qstb2B_2. The Qstb2B_1 QTL was mapped at the seedling and the adult plant stage (highest LOD 33.9, explained variance 61.6%), conferring an effective resistance against five Z. tritici isolates. The Qstb2B_2 conferred adult plant resistance (highest LOD 32.9, explained variance 42%) and has been effective at the field trials against two Z. tritici isolates. The physical positions of the flanking markers linked to Qstb2B_1 and Qstb2B_2 indicate that these two QTL are 5 Mb apart. In addition, we identified two minor QTL on chromosomes 1A (Qstb1A) and chromosome 7A (Qstb7A) (highest LODs 4.6 and 4.0, and explained variances of 16% and 9%, respectively) that were specific to three and one Z. tritici isolates, respectively. All identified QTL were derived from the landrace accession Agili39 that represents a valuable source for STB resistance in durum wheat. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that Z. tritici resistance in the 'Agili39' landrace accession is controlled by two minor and two major QTL acting in an additive mode. We also provide evidence that the broad efficacy of the resistance to STB in 'Agili 39' is due to a natural pyramiding of these QTL. A sustainable use of this Z. tritici resistance source and a positive selection of the linked markers to the identified QTL will greatly support effective breeding for Z. tritici resistance in durum wheat.

Equal Distribution of Mating Type Alleles and the Presence of Strobilurin Resistance in Algerian Zymoseptoria tritici Field Populations.

Zymoseptoria tritici, the causal agent of septoria tritici blotch, is an important wheat pathogen responsible for high yield losses worldwide. The assessment of the distribution of both mating type idiomorphs was studied in several wheat-growing areas in North Algeria. Both mating types occurred at all spatial scales tested and showed an equal frequency distribution at the country level, with 53% for Mat1-1 and 47% for Mat1-2. At finer scales, co-occurrence of both mating types was found in 38% of leaves analyzed and 44% of the studied lesions. Additionally, efficacy reduction of strobilurin applications prompted us to study strobilurin resistance conferred by the G143A substitution in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, which was found for the first time in six strains. The results suggest that the Algerian Z. tritici population undergoes frequent sexual reproduction mirrored by co-occurrence of both mating types, which likely will rapidly increase the fraction of strobilurin-resistant isolates in the Algerian population, as has been shown in all other regions where strobilurin resistance surfaced.

Unconventional R proteins in the botanical tribe Triticeae.

Plant immunity is triggered following the perception of pathogen-derived molecules by plant receptor proteins. Two protein families, membrane-localized receptor-like kinases (RLK) and intracellular nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors, play key roles in pathogen perception and in the initiation of downstream signaling cascades that lead to defense responses. In addition to RLKs and NLRs, recent research has identified additional protein families that function as plant resistance (R) proteins. In particular, the botanical tribe Triticeae, which includes the globally important crop species wheat and barley, has played a significant role in the discovery of 'unconventional' R proteins. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge on unconventional R genes in Triticeae and the proteins they encode. The knowledge on unconventional R proteins will not only broaden our understanding of plant-pathogen interactions but also have great implications for disease resistance breeding in crops.

Morphological characterization and genetic diversity analysis of Tunisian durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) accessions.

BACKGROUND: Tunisia is considered a secondary center of diversification of durum wheat and has a large number of abandoned old local landraces. An accurate investigation and characterization of the morphological and genetic features of these landraces would allow their rehabilitation and utilization in wheat breeding programs. Here, we investigated a diverse collection of 304 local accessions of durum wheat collected from five regions and three climate stages of central and southern Tunisia. RESULTS: Durum wheat accessions were morphologically characterized using 12 spike- and grain-related traits. A mean Shannon-Weaver index (H') of 0.80 was obtained, indicating high level of polymorphism among accessions. Based on these traits, 11 local landraces including Mahmoudi, Azizi, Jneh Khotifa, Mekki, Biskri, Taganrog, Biada, Badri, Richi, Roussia and Souri were identified. Spike length (H' = 0.98), spike shape (H' = 0.86), grain size (H' = 0.94), grain shape (H' = 0.87) and grain color (H' = 0.86) were the most polymorphic morphological traits. The genetic diversity of these accessions was assessed using 10 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, with a polymorphic information content (PIC) of 0.69. Levels of genetic diversity were generally high (I = 0.62; He = 0.35). In addition, population structure analysis revealed 11 genetic groups, which were significantly correlated with the morphological characterization. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed high genetic variation within regions (81%) and within genetic groups (41%), reflecting a considerable amount of admixture between landraces. The moderate (19%) and high (59%) levels of genetic variation detected among regions and among genetic groups, respectively, highlighted the selection practices of farmers. Furthermore, Mahmoudi accessions showed significant variation in spike density between central Tunisia (compact spikes) and southern Tunisia (loose spikes with open glume), may indicate an adaptation to high temperature in the south. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study demonstrates the genetic richness of local durum wheat germplasm for better in situ and ex situ conservation and for the subsequent use of these accessions in wheat breeding programs.

A wheat cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase confers broad-spectrum resistance against Septoria tritici blotch.

The poverty of disease resistance gene reservoirs limits the breeding of crops for durable resistance against evolutionary dynamic pathogens. Zymoseptoria tritici which causes Septoria tritici blotch (STB), represents one of the most genetically diverse and devastating wheat pathogens worldwide. No fully virulent Z. tritici isolates against synthetic wheats carrying the major resistant gene Stb16q have been identified. Here, we use comparative genomics, mutagenesis and complementation to identify Stb16q, which confers broad-spectrum resistance against Z. tritici. The Stb16q gene encodes a plasma membrane cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase that was recently introduced into cultivated wheat and which considerably slows penetration and intercellular growth of the pathogen.

Stress and sexual reproduction affect the dynamics of the wheat pathogen effector AvrStb6 and strobilurin resistance.

Host resistance and fungicide treatments are cornerstones of plant-disease control. Here, we show that these treatments allow sex and modulate parenthood in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. We demonstrate that the Z. tritici-wheat interaction complies with the gene-for-gene model by identifying the effector AvrStb6, which is recognized by the wheat resistance protein Stb6. Recognition triggers host resistance, thus implying removal of avirulent strains from pathogen populations. However, Z. tritici crosses on wheat show that sex occurs even with an avirulent parent, and avirulence alleles are thereby retained in subsequent populations. Crossing fungicide-sensitive and fungicide-resistant isolates under fungicide pressure results in a rapid increase in resistance-allele frequency. Isolates under selection always act as male donors, and thus disease control modulates parenthood. Modeling these observations for agricultural and natural environments reveals extended durability of host resistance and rapid emergence of fungicide resistance. Therefore, fungal sex has major implications for disease control.

Plasticity of the MFS1 Promoter Leads to Multidrug Resistance in the Wheat Pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici.

The ascomycete Zymoseptoria tritici is the causal agent of Septoria leaf blotch on wheat. Disease control relies mainly on resistant wheat cultivars and on fungicide applications. The fungus displays a high potential to circumvent both methods. Resistance against all unisite fungicides has been observed over decades. A different type of resistance has emerged among wild populations with multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. Active fungicide efflux through overexpression of the major facilitator gene MFS1 explains this emerging resistance mechanism. Applying a bulk-progeny sequencing approach, we identified in this study a 519-bp long terminal repeat (LTR) insert in the MFS1 promoter, a relic of a retrotransposon cosegregating with the MDR phenotype. Through gene replacement, we show the insert as a mutation responsible for MFS1 overexpression and the MDR phenotype. Besides this type I insert, we found two different types of promoter inserts in more recent MDR strains. Type I and type II inserts harbor potential transcription factor binding sites, but not the type III insert. Interestingly, all three inserts correspond to repeated elements present at different genomic locations in either IPO323 or other Z. tritici strains. These results underline the plasticity of repeated elements leading to fungicide resistance in Z. tritici and which contribute to its adaptive potential. IMPORTANCE Disease control through fungicides remains an important means to protect crops from fungal diseases and to secure the harvest. Plant-pathogenic fungi, especially Zymoseptoria tritici, have developed resistance against most currently used active ingredients, reducing or abolishing their efficacy. While target site modification is the most common resistance mechanism against single modes of action, active efflux of multiple drugs is an emerging phenomenon in fungal populations reducing additionally fungicides' efficacy in multidrug-resistant strains. We have investigated the mutations responsible for increased drug efflux in Z. tritici field strains. Our study reveals that three different insertions of repeated elements in the same promoter lead to multidrug resistance in Z. tritici. The target gene encodes the membrane transporter MFS1 responsible for drug efflux, with the promoter inserts inducing its overexpression. These results underline the plasticity of repeated elements leading to fungicide resistance in Z. tritici.