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A Method to Inoculate Millet Grain-Colonized Fusarium pseudograminearum on Wheat to Obtain Reproducible Disease Symptoms

Summary

Researchers developed a reliable laboratory method to test wheat varieties for their ability to resist a serious fungal disease called crown rot caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum. Using millet grains colonized with the fungus as an inoculum, they can now consistently and quickly identify which wheat varieties are naturally resistant to the disease. This standardized method helps plant breeders efficiently select resistant wheat cultivars, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

Background

Fusarium crown rot (FCR), caused primarily by Fusarium pseudograminearum, is a devastating soil-borne disease of wheat that causes severe yield and quality losses, particularly in China’s Huang-Huai-Hai Plain. Development of resistant cultivars is an effective control strategy, but lack of standardized inoculation protocols has hindered accurate assessment of disease-resistant wheat germplasms.

Objective

To establish a robust and standardized greenhouse inoculation system utilizing F. pseudograminearum propagated on millet grain substrate for reliable evaluation of wheat host resistance and fungal pathogenicity. The system aims to enable high-throughput screening of resistant wheat germplasm under controlled environmental conditions.

Results

Susceptible wheat cultivar Fielder developed severe crown rot symptoms with a mean disease index of 62.92 ± 8.13, while resistant cultivar Xinong 529 showed significantly lower susceptibility with a disease index of 22.08 ± 5.91. The protocol demonstrated high infection efficiency and strong reproducibility in differentiating wheat cultivar resistance levels.

Conclusion

The established standardized greenhouse inoculation protocol provides a reliable and reproducible method for assessing Fusarium crown rot resistance in wheat germplasm. This system enables accurate quantification of F. pseudograminearum pathogenicity and facilitates efficient high-throughput screening of resistant wheat cultivars.
  • Published in:Bio Protoc (BioProtocol),
  • Study Type:Protocol Development Study,
  • Source: PMID: 41000160, DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5438
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