Genetic Analysis of Septoria Tritici Blotch to Improve Resistance in European Wheat Breeding Programmes

Abstract

In Europe, the need to understand and use host plant resistance to septoria tritici blotch (STB) has assumed new urgency with the widespread development of resistance to QoI (strobilurin and related) fungicides in the STB pathogen, Mycosphaerella graminicola (Fuckel) Schrot. We have investigated factors that contribute to reducing STB levels among wheat cultivars in field conditions, including resistance to specific isolates of M. graminicola and aspects of plant development and morphology that contribute to disease escape. This has allowed the identification of cultivars with isolatenon- specific, foliar resistance to STB which should be valuable in wheat breeding