| Summary: | Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating fungal disease of hexaploid wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i>). Several genetic loci were previously identified that control FHB resistance in wheat, including <i>Fhb1</i>. <i>Fhb7</i>, a major QTL conferring resistance to FHB, controlling for mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) production, has been introgressed into soft red winter wheat (SRWW). As an exotic QTL, <i>Fhb7</i> is associated with linkage drag, affecting agronomic and end-use quality performance. This study outlines a breeding strategy for introducing and pyramiding <i>Fhb7</i> into SRWW breeding populations that already possessed <i>Fhb1</i> and harbored some additional disease-resistance genes. In addition to the <i>Fhb1</i>-<i>Fhb7</i> pyramiding, we developed gene-based markers for both genes and examined them on 57 SRWW breeding lines. Our data showed that 15 out of 57 breeding lines possessed both <i>Fhb1</i> and <i>Fhb7</i> resistant alleles. Two years of phenotypic data from the inoculated and misted irrigation field showed that the combination of <i>Fhb1</i>-<i>Fhb7</i> lowers mycotoxin DON accumulation in kernels, which provides protection for end-users and the milling industry. The Fhb gene-pyramided lines, with the additional regionally important disease resistance genes, produced in this breeding pipeline showed reasonable agronomic traits and can be used in crossing programs for the widespread introgression in elite wheat cultivars.
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