SBARE Wheat Granting Committee

Northern Crops Institute, Fargo

Meeting Minutes

January 20, 2009

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Harlan Klein. Voting members present were Klein, Mike Martin, Bruce Hagen, Brian O’Toole, Mark Watne and Keith Witte. Non-voting members present were Brian Sorenson, Neal Fisher, Mohamed Mergoum and Vance Taylor. Also present was Lori Capouch.

The meeting began with presentations of the pending proposals:

Screening and improving North Dakota wheats for resistance to an emerging virulent wheat stem rust race &g99

Researcher: Dr. Shaobin Zhong

Amount requested: $12,758

Wheat stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, was one of the most devastating diseases in the northern Great Plains region in history. In 1950s, stem rust epidemics caused 40% of yield loss in wheat production. Since then, scientists made great efforts to bring disease under control for almost a half century by use of host resistance genes and eradication of common barberry plants to reduce the pathogen change. However, a new virulent race (Ug99) emerged in Uganda in 1999 and has spread to other regions of the world. The new stem rust race can attack those wheat varieties that used to be resistant. In North Dakota, all recently released wheat varieties are susceptible to Ug99 and thus there is an urgent need to screen for new resistance genes in North Dakota spring wheat varieties by inoculation with different stem rust races in the greenhouse and screen for resistance to Ug99 in spring wheat lines and varieties derived from the NDSU spring wheat breeding program. Molecular markers will also be developed for quick selection of the resistance genes in the plants. The resistance package to be developed will be able to protect the ND wheats from the potential attack of current races and new emerging races such as Ug99.

Multiple disease resistance in wheat

Researcher: Tika Adhikari

Amount requested: $15,000

This project seeks to identify new sources of resistance to three leaf spot diseases (tan spot, Stagonospora nodorum blotch, Septoria tritici blotch) in wheat germplasm in a greenhouse and field. Based on the reaction to individual diseases, resistant wheat cultivars will be selected and evaluated with prevalent races of these pathogens at seedling and adult plant stages. Agronomical traits will be evaluated in the field. DNA markers will be used to confirm the presence of resistance genes in the selected resistant wheat cultivars/lines. This is the second year of this study.

Integrated disease management approaches to bacterial leaf streak (BLS) in wheat

Researcher: Tika Adhikari

Amount requested: $7,000

Bacterial leaf streak and black chaff of wheat, caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. Undulosa. The bacterium causes typical streaks with bacterial exudates on leaf and black chaff on ear-heads of wheat, and yield losses of up to 40 percent have been reported in the United States. More recently, BLS has become a serious threat to wheat production, particularly in the northern Great Plains. In 2008, nearly 80 percent disease incidence was observed in North Dakota. Traditionally, BLS has been managed by treating seeds with hot water or mercury fungicides, but these methods are ineffective. The use of bactericides to control BLS also is expensive. More importantly, effective bactericides are not available for wheat growers. Copper products, such as Kocide, and cupric hydroxide were unsatisfactory for seed treatments and breeding wheat cultivars resistant to foliar infection has little success. Recently, researchers evaluated resistance to BLS in 126 wheat genotypes from this region. The majority of the wheat genotypes were highly susceptible. The main objective of this research project is to develop integrated disease management strategies for the control of BLS in wheat.

Breeding for resistance to leaf spotting diseases in spring wheat

Researcher: Mohamed Mergoum

Amount requested: $20,000

The goal of this project is to incorporate genetic resistance to leaf spotting disease complex into the spring wheat varieties and elite germplasm. The new resistant sources of resistance to leaf spotting diseases, identified in ongoing research, conducted by our research team, is being incorporated into hard red spring wheat cultivars. Superior cultivars with durable and multiple resistance genes that are adapted to the Great Plains will be developed. Both classical disease screening and modern technologies such as MAS and DH would be utilized in the identification and selection of desired wheat cultivars. Development of resistant cultivars will enhance the quality and yield of wheat production besides causing reduction in use of fungicides thereby lowering the cost of wheat production and conserving the environment.

Introgression of valuable traits into adapted spring wheat using efficient and rapid modern methods

Researcher: Mohamed Mergoum

Amount requested: $24,000

The goal of this project is to use modern technology tools including marker assisted selection and double haploid techniques to incorporate rapidly and efficiently valuable traits such as quality traits and disease resistance into newly developed hard red spring wheat cultivars. Among these markers, this project will specifically focus on CAPS markers related to high grain protein content gene Gpc-B1. Also markers related to leaf spotting and FHB including Barc75, Gwm389, Gwm533, Barc133, Barc147, and Gwm493 identified on chromosome 3BS; and Barc56, Wmc150, and Barc294 reported to be on other chromosomes will be addressed. Also, new robust molecular markers for other economic traits will be investigated.

Improving North Dakota wheat using alien genes

Researcher: Xiwen Cai

Amount requested: $25,107

The objectives for this research in 2008 include:

1. Increasing generations of the introgression lines with tan spot and SNB resistance and potential tolerance to drought in the greenhouse;

2. Evaluating agronomic performance of the germplasm lines and verifying their resistance/tolerance under field conditions;

3. Characterizing chromosome constitutions of the elite germplasm lines to facilitate their utilization in breeding.

Pre-harvest sprouting: effect on starch properties of hard red and white spring wheat genotypes

Researcher: Senay Simsek

Amount requested: $7,500

North Dakota ranks first in the production of hard spring wheat in the United States with approximately six to seven million acres devoted to this crop each year. Carbohydrates, including starch, constitute up to 85 percent of the wheat kernel and have significant impact on the end-product quality. Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is the condition where germination of grains occurs in the spike before harvest. Prolonged rainfall and high humidity contribute to premature germination of grains before harvest. The main effects of PHS are a lower yield due to harvest losses and, more importantly, a reduction in end-product quality. Flour obtained from sprouted grains loses its thickening power due to starch breakdown and the baked goods have a smaller volume and a compact, sticky crumb structure. The main cause for the loss of quality due to PHS is high a-amylase activity. The proposed research will investigate changes in starch properties from HRSW and HWSW in relation to end-product quality as a result of PHS.

Developing durum wheat germplasm with low cadmium uptake

Researcher: Elias Elias

Amount Requested: $30,375

Cadmium is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. A relatively rare, soft, bluish-white transition metal, cadmium is known to cause cancer and occurs with zinc ores. Cd is used largely in batteries and pigments, for example in plastic products. Cd is a toxic element which naturally occurs in all soils. Over time, if Cd consumed more than the provisional tolerable weekly intake established by the world health organization can increase the body burden of this toxic element and causes renal proximal tubular dysfunction. Population that consumes poor diets with low nutrients seems to be more effected by Cd intake than populations that consume healthy diets.

International marketing of grain to Northern European nations requires meeting strict Cd limits. Plant species and cultivars vary genetically in the ability to absorb and translocate Cd to edible crop parts. Sunflower, durum, and wheat flax are naturally higher in Cd than other grain crops. Chaney et al., 1997 reported a large variation in grain Cd concentration in durum wheat grown in North Dakota. They also reported that breeding for low grain Cd in durum wheat is feasible. Developing durum wheat cultivars with low Cd uptake is essential to remain competitive in the international export market and provide healthy diet to consumers. Therefore the objective of this project is to develop durum wheat genotypes with low level of Cd uptake to be grown in North Dakota.

Nitrogen recalibration for wheat in North Dakota

Researcher: David Franzen

Amount requested: $15,000

This project will test the current NDSU nitrogen recommendations against modern laboratory techniques, field variability and possible regional differences in the ability of soil to release nitrogen to the wheat crop. The influence of organic matter, mineralizable nitrogen indexes, residual nitrogen, and nitrogen rate will be examined to determine if a better and more efficient system of determining nitrogen fertilizer rates are possible. This project is a two-year effort, with participation from researchers at Dickinson, Minot, Langdon, Carrington, Williston and Fargo Experiment Stations.

Developing winter wheat varieties and production practices for North Dakota

Researcher: Joel Ransom

Amount requested: $15,000

This project will evaluate winter wheat varieties and breeding lines developed by breeders in other states for productivity in North Dakota in order to identify new and more productive varieties that can be grown by North Dakota farmers. The research will also evaluate different management practices that could help farmers in North Dakota produce more winter wheat with less risk.

Hard red spring wheat response to fertilizer source, rate and time of application

Researcher: Ron Wiederholt

Amount requested: $2,376

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer costs constitute the majority of expense to produce a wheat crop. Currently N input costs are at record highs. Research has shown that split applications of N on wheat may not have a yield benefit but very little research has been conducted on split applications of reduced N rates on wheat. Research has also shown that livestock manure is comparable to commercial fertilizer as an N source for crop production. With the high price of commercial N, livestock manure is becoming more attractive as a lower cost N source for wheat production. Wheat is a relatively short season crop and has high N demands early in the growing season leading to a concern that spring applied manure may not release N on time causing a decrease in yield. This project will evaluate the yield response of hard red spring wheat to split applied, reduced N rates and beef feedlot manure applied in the fall vs. spring.

Optimizing the identification and development of high-yielding spring wheats with resistance to wheat stem sawfly

Researcher: Janet Knodel

Amount requested: 28,362

The goal of this study is to expand our current knowledge of host plant resistance for control of wheat stem sawfly. Wheat stem sawfly causes damage to wheat by larval feeding inside the stem, which reduces the number and weight of kernels. As the crop matures, larvae girdle the stem causing lodging and harvest problems. Recent field infestation levels of greater than 80 percent have been reported with yield losses as much as 20 percent in western North Dakota. Damage caused to wheat has been estimated to exceed $60 million annually in the northern Great Plains. Host plant resistance using solid-stemmed wheat varieties has long been recognized as the best defense against this insect. The proposed research will expand the host plant resistance nursery testing evaluation, and quantify the degree of stem solidity necessary for resistance to wheat stem sawfly while maintaining acceptable yield and grain quality. In summary, this research is important for developing sustainable pest management strategies for control of wheat stem sawfly in North Dakota.

Funding Decisions

The committee discussed the proposals as a whole following the presentations and then made funding decisions.

It was moved by Witte and seconded by Martin to grant negotiated funding as follows:

1. $12,000 to the project titled “Multiple disease resistance in wheat”.

2. $16,000 to the project titled “Breeding for resistance to leaf spotting diseases in spring wheat”.

3. $20,000 to the project titled “Introgression of valuable traits into adapted spring wheat using efficient and rapid modern methods”.

4. $7,500 to the project titled “Pre-harvest sprouting: effect on starch properties of hard red and white spring wheat”.

5. $22,893 to the project titled “Developing durum wheat germplasm with low cadmium uptake”.

6. $10,000 to the project titled “Nitrogen recalibration for wheat”.

7. $10,000 to the project titled “Developing winter wheat varieties and production practices for North Dakota.

The motion carried unanimously.

Other business

O’Toole requested the North Dakota Crop Improvement and Seed Association become a member of the granting committee.

It was moved by Martin and seconded by Witte to add the North Dakota Crop Improvement and Seed Association to the committee as an ex-officio member. The motion carried.

It was moved by Martin and seconded by Watne to reappoint Klein as chair of the committee. The motion carried.