Research yields new genotype resistant to common root disease.
Wheat yields in the United States and abroad could increase in the future, thanks to a new spring wheat genotype identified by Washington State University researchers that is resistant to a common root disease.
Scarlet Rz1 is believed to be the first spring wheat genotype resistant to Rhizoctonia root rot, a yield-limiting root disease found worldwide. The University is now seeking international patent protection on Scarlet Rz1.
First genotype resistant to common root disease
“This is the first wheat genotype that we know of that has tolerance to this disease,” said Kim Kidwell, interim spring wheat breeder and associate dean of academic programs for WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. “It’s a major problem in direct seeded spring wheat production.”
The soil-borne fungal disease can cut wheat yields by as much as 30 percent when conditions favor it.
Genotype created by chemical mutation
The new wheat genotype is a mutation of the Scarlet variety, developed and released by Dr. Kidwell in 1998. Scarlet-Rz1 was created by a chemical mutation, and is not considered to be a genetically modified organism.
The utility of the gene has not been fully determined, but researchers hope to clone it and transfer disease resistance to other wheat varieties in the future. Eventually the gene may be adapted for use in other crops where Rhizoctonia root rot is a problem, including ornamental plants as a means for preventing damping off disease.
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