Screening barley lines for scab resistance in uniform nurseries

The objective of this project is to screen elite barley germplasm for resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) in uniform screening nurseries. The North American Barley Scab Evaluation Nurseries (NABSEN) has been grown at two sites in Minnesota and two sites in North Dakota the past eight growing seasons and in Canada and Mexico in the last two growing seasons.

Both dryland and mist-irrigated nurseries that are inoculated with Fusarium graminearum are used so that data can be collected in years when environmental conditions are both conducive and non-conducive for natural infection. Uninoculated dryland nurseries are grown so that lines can be grown under conditions similar to those experienced by producers.

The expanded nursery includes breeding lines with putative FHB resistance from the four Upper Midwest barley-breeding programs, the Canadian breeding program and the CIMMYT/ICARDA breeding program, and includes susceptible and resistant checks. Fusarium head blight severity and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation are determined for each entry.

Results from the NABSEN nursery are circulated to all barley researchers who desire them in the form of a report that is also posted on the web.

Collaborating Researchers: R Horsley, J Franckiowiak NDSU, K Smith (University of Minnesota), B Legge (Agriculture Canada), L Skoglund (Busch-Ag), F Capettini (CIMMYT/ICARDA)