Repeated exposure of wheat to the fungal root pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana modulates rhizosphere microbiome assembly and disease suppressiveness.

BACKGROUND: Disease suppressiveness of soils to fungal root pathogens is typically induced in the field by repeated infections of the host plant and concomitant changes in the taxonomic composition and functional traits of the rhizosphere microbiome. Here, we studied this remarkable phenomenon for Bipolaris sorokiniana in two wheat cultivars differing in resistance to this fungal root pathogen. RESULTS: The results showed that repeated exposure of the susceptible wheat cultivar to the pathogen led to a significant reduction in disease severity after five successive growth cycles. Surprisingly, the resistant wheat cultivar, initially included as a control, showed the opposite pattern with an increase in disease severity after repeated pathogen exposure. Amplicon analyses revealed that the bacterial families Chitinophagaceae, Anaerolineaceae and Nitrosomonadaceae were associated with disease suppressiveness in the susceptible wheat cultivar; disease suppressiveness in the resistant wheat cultivar was also associated with Chitinophagaceae and a higher abundance of Comamonadaceae. Metagenome analysis led to the selection of 604 Biosynthetic Gene Clusters (BGCs), out of a total of 2,571 identified by AntiSMASH analysis, that were overrepresented when the soil entered the disease suppressive state. These BGCs are involved in the biosynthesis of terpenes, non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides, aryl polyenes and post-translationally modified peptides. CONCLUSION: Combining taxonomic and functional profiling we identified key changes in the rhizosphere microbiome during disease suppression. This illustrates how the host plant relies on the rhizosphere microbiome as the first line of defense to fight soil-borne pathogens. Microbial taxa and functions identified here can be used in novel strategies to control soil-borne fungal pathogens.

Identification of Fusarium head blight resistance loci in two Brazilian wheat mapping populations.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that causes major yield losses in South America, as well as many other wheat growing regions around the world. FHB results in low quality, contaminated grain due to the production of mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON). In Brazil, FHB outbreaks are increasing in frequency and are currently controlled by fungicides which are costly and potentially harmful to the wider environment. To identify the genetic basis of resistance to FHB in Brazilian wheat, two mapping populations (Anahuac 75 × BR 18-Terena and BR 18-Terena × BRS 179) segregating for FHB resistance were phenotyped and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was undertaken to identify genomic regions associated with FHB-related traits. A total of 14 QTL associated with FHB visual symptoms were identified, each of which explained 3.7-17.3% of the phenotypic variance. Two of these QTL were stable across environments. This suggests FHB resistance in Anahuac 75, BR 18-Terena and BRS 179 is controlled by multiple genetic loci that confer relatively minor differences in resistance. A major, novel QTL associated with DON accumulation was also identified on chromosome 4B (17.8% of the phenotypic variance), as well as a major QTL associated with thousand-grain weight on chromosome 6B (16.8% phenotypic variance). These QTL could be useful breeding targets, when pyramided with major sources of resistance such as Fhb1, to improve grain quality and reduce the reliance on fungicides in Brazil and other countries affected by FHB.

Dissecting the genetic basis of wheat blast resistance in the Brazilian wheat cultivar BR 18-Terena.

BACKGROUND: Wheat blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum (MoT) pathotype, is a global threat to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. Few blast resistance (R) genes have been identified to date, therefore assessing potential sources of resistance in wheat is important. The Brazilian wheat cultivar BR 18-Terena is considered one of the best sources of resistance to blast and has been widely used in Brazilian breeding programmes, however the underlying genetics of this resistance are unknown. RESULTS: BR 18-Terena was used as the common parent in the development of two recombinant inbred line (RIL) F6 populations with the Brazilian cultivars Anahuac 75 and BRS 179. Populations were phenotyped for resistance at the seedling and heading stage using the sequenced MoT isolate BR32, with transgressive segregation being observed. Genetic maps containing 1779 and 1318 markers, were produced for the Anahuac 75 × BR 18-Terena and BR 18-Terena × BRS 179 populations, respectively. Five quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with seedling resistance, on chromosomes 2B, 4B (2 QTL), 5A and 6A, were identified, as were four QTL associated with heading stage resistance (1A, 2B, 4A and 5A). Seedling and heading stage QTL did not co-locate, despite a significant positive correlation between these traits, indicating that resistance at these developmental stages is likely to be controlled by different genes. BR 18-Terena provided the resistant allele for six QTL, at both developmental stages, with the largest phenotypic effect conferred by a QTL being 24.8% suggesting that BR 18-Terena possesses quantitative resistance. Haplotype analysis of 100 Brazilian wheat cultivars indicates that 11.0% of cultivars already possess a BR 18-Terena-like haplotype for more than one of the identified heading stage QTL. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that BR 18-Terena possesses quantitative resistance to wheat blast, with nine QTL associated with resistance at either the seedling or heading stage being detected. Wheat blast resistance is also largely tissue-specific. Identification of durable quantitative resistances which can be combined with race-specific R gene-mediated resistance is critical to effectively control wheat blast. Collectively, this work facilitates marker-assisted selection to develop new varieties for cultivation in regions at risk from this emerging disease.

Asian soybean rust: modeling the impact on soybean grain yield in the Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba region, Minas Gerais, Brazil / Ferrugem asiática da soja: modelagem do impacto na produtividade da soja na região do Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Understanding the impact of Asian soybean rust on soybean yield is of great importance in the crop simulation model for this crop become it is possible to predict yield using different sowing dates and growth conditions. The goal of this study were to evaluate the performance of two soybean cultivars in Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba, MG, Brazil and the effects of soybean rust on the yield of these cultivars using the CSM-CROPGRO Soybean model. Two soybean cultivars "NK 7074" (early) and "UFUS-Impacta" (medium late), which differ in their development cycles, were growing in Uberaba city during the 2009/2010 growing season. The validation for cultivar "UFUS-Impacta" was conducted comparing the measured and simulated yield data considering three different sowing dates in the "Uberlândia" city during the 2002/2003 growing season. Daily meteorological data obtained from six meteorological stations of the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET). To determine the performance of the soybean cultivars and the effect of soybean rust on yield, three different scenarios were used: no occurrence of rust (NOR) and occurrence of rust with inoculum concentrations of U5.000 and U10.000 urediniospores/mL. For all environments studied, the early cultivar had the best performance than the medium late cultivar. Soybean rust had the most effect on yield for the U10.000 scenario than for the U5.000 scenario. The best soybean performance occurred for "Araxá" and "Uberaba" cities. The SouthSoutheast area of the "Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba" region was the most sensitive to the effect of rust on yield compared to the North region.

Compreender o impacto da ferrugem asiática na produtividade da soja é de grande importância para os modelos de simulação dessa cultura, pois pode-se prever a produtividade utilizando-se diferentes datas de semeadura e condições de crescimento. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a performance de duas cultivares de soja na região do Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba, MG, Brasil e os efeitos da ferrugem asiática da soja na produtividade desses cultivares utilizando o modelo CSM-CROPGRO Soybean. Duas cultivares de soja NK 7074 (precoce) e UFUS-Impacta (semitardia), as quais diferem nos seus ciclos de desenvolvimento, foram cultivadas em Uberaba na safra 2009/2010. A validação para a cultivar UFUS-Impacta foi conduzida comparando os dados observados e simulados de produtividade considerando três diferentes datas de semeadura na safra 2002/2003 em Uberlândia, MG. Foram utilizados dados meteorológicos diários de seis estações meteorológicas do Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET). Para determinar o desempenho das cultivares de soja e o efeito da ferrugem na produtividade, utilizou-se três diferentes cenários denominados de: não ocorrência de ferrugem (NOR) e ocorrência de ferrugem nas concentrações de inóculo de U5.000 e U10.000 urediniósporos/mL. Para todos os ambientes estudados, a cultivar precoce teve o melhor desempenho em relação a cultivar semi-tardia. A ferrugem da soja teve maior impacto na produção para o cenário U10.000 do que para o cenário U5.000. O melhor desempenho das cultivares de soja foram para as cidades de Araxá e Uberaba. A área Sul-Sudeste do Triângulo Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba foi a mais sensível ao efeito da ferrugem na produtividade em comparação com a região norte.