Evaluation of Wheat Pre-Harvest Sprouting Tolerance and Identification of Regionally Relevant QTLs and Genes.

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is the premature germination of grain before harvest which negatively impacts seed and end use quality. PHS is typically measured on harvested grain using the falling number (FN) test which quantifies seed starch degradation by alpha amylase. Harvested grain with low FN negatively impacts the price producers receive for their grain resulting in global losses of up to $1 billion per year. Because of this, identifying ways to select for PHS resistance in wheat breeding programs is of great economic importance. The goal of this project is to screen Montana wheat varieties for FN and PHS tolerance and identify ways to select for improved PHS resistance. A PHS screening method was developed and used to screen 145 Montana grown spring and winter wheat varieties. The PHS tolerance test results indicate that both spring and winter wheat varieties were highly variable in terms of their level of PHS tolerance. Among winter wheats, a major previously reported PHS QTL, TaPHS1, accounted for roughly 30% of PHS variation. Winter wheats carrying the TaPHS1 resistance allele were generally later in heading and maturity. However, all tested Montana grown spring wheats were fixed for the TaPHS1 resistance allele. The spring and winter wheats are currently being screened to identify additional PHS QTL markers useful in creating Montana adapted wheat varieties having both PHS tolerance and high FN.