A conserved locus conditioning Soil-borne wheat mosaic virus resistance on the long arm of chromosome 5D in common wheat

Soil-borne wheat mosaic virus (SBWMV) is considered to be one of the most important diseases in winter wheat regions of the central and southeastern United States. Utilization of resistant cultivars is the most efficient and environmentally friendly means of control. To identify potential quantitative trait loci (QTL) or effective gene(s) for SBWMV resistance, two independent recombinant inbred line populations, Pioneer 26R61/AGS 2000 (PR61/A2000, 178 lines) and AGS 2020/LA 95135 (A2020/LA, 130 lines), were developed. Pioneer 26R61 and AGS 2020 were resistant to SBWMV, and AGS 2000 and LA 95135 were susceptible. Based on the whole genome genotyping for the PR61/A2000 population and targeted mapping of chromosome 5D for the A2020/LA, the same major QTL QSbm.uga-5DL was identified in all environments with highly significant LOD values, explaining up to 62 and 65 % of the total phenotypic variation in the PR61/A2000 and A2020/LA populations, respectively. The location of the resistance QTL coincided with previously published SBCMV resistance genes Sbm1, Sbm Claire and Sbm Tremie on the long arm of chromosome 5D. A conserved locus was therefore proposed for conditioning SBWMV/SBCMV resistance in common wheat. Validation of the QTL using the flanking markers Xbarc177 and Xbarc161 in three cultivars and three elite lines with Pioneer 26R61 in their pedigrees indicated that the markers were suitable for marker-assisted selection.