Development of Molecular Markers Based on ESTs Linked to Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat

In order to develop molecular markers based on Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) linked to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) resistance genes in wheat, the biological function of 8660 ESTs deposited in data bank were studied following which 260 ESTs with identified biological function were selected. In total, 62 primer combinations were designed based on conserved and non conserved sequences. Linkage and QTL analyses results, using phenotypic and genotypic data on F3 and F5 generations developed from the crosses 'Frontana' (moderately resistant)/ 'Falat' (susceptible), indicated that one designed molecular marker based on NPR1 explained up to 9.6 % of AUDPC variance with a significant negative additive effect. This marker was located on 3AS chromosome. The Expression of NPR1, using QRT-PCR method, indicated that the expression of the gene following 96 hours after inoculation in 'Wangshuibai' and 'Frontana', was on the increase. Therefore, NPR1 and its developed molecular marker could be considered in future research programs to improve FHB resistance in wheat.