Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by
Fusarium species, is among the most devastating wheat diseases, causing losses in numerous sectors of the grain industry through yield
and quality reduction, and the accumulation of poisonous mycotoxins. A germplasm collection of spring and winter wheat, including
nine reference cultivars, was tested for Type II FHB resistance and deoxynivalenol (DON) content. Genetic diversity was evaluated
on the basis of Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers linked to FHB resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and Diversity
Arrays Technology (DArT) markers. The allele size of the SSR markers linked to FHB resistance QTLs from known resistance sources
was compared to a germplasm collection to determine the presence of these QTLs and to identify potentially novel sources of
resistance. Forty-two accessions were identified as resistant or moderately resistant to
Fusarium spread, and two also had very low DON concentrations. Genetic relationships among wheat accessions were generally consistent
with their geographic distribution and pedigree. SSR analysis revealed that several resistant accessions carried up to four
of the tested QTLs. Resistant and moderately resistant lines without any known QTLs are considered to be novel sources of
resistance that could be used for further genetic studies.
Keywords Deoxynivalenol - Disease resistance - Microsatellite markers - DArT markers - Quantitative trait loci