Improvement of resistance to Fusarium head blight by recurrent selection in an intermating breeding spring wheat population using the dominant male-sterile gene ms2

Four cycles of recurrent selection for FHB resistance were conducted in an intermating wheat breeding population using the dominant male-sterile gene ms(2) during 1987-1991. Five cycles of phenotypic mass selection for male-sterile plants were evaluated using the soil-surface inoculation method in Experiment I. Experiment II evaluated changes in FHB scores during five cycles of progeny selection for fertile plants using the single-floret inoculation method. In Experiment I, the average level of FHB response increased to MR level in C-4, compared to MS level in C-0. The numbers of infected spikelets and diseased kernels decreased 0.32 and 2.68 per cycle, respectively. In Experiment II, the average level of FHB response increased to R level in C4F1. The numbers of infected spikelets and diseased kernels decreased 0.93 and 4.58 per cycle, respectively. In both experiments, the largest selection gains were realized in the first cycle. The frequencies of R and MR individuals were increased significantly. The frequencies of individuals with FHB response equal and/or superior to Sumai 3 were increased to 5-8% in C-4 and 25% in C4F1 after the fourth cycle. Agronomic traits tended to be slightly improved in selected populations. Compared to 2% in C-0, about 34% of lines superior in both FHB resistance and agronomic traits in C4F1 were selected to enter the conventional breeding program for further evaluation. Sixty three semidwarf lines superior in both FHB resistance and yield potential were selected from the F-5 generations derived from C1F1 to C4F1. From them, two resistant cultivars with high-yielding potential were developed and commercialized in the Lower Yangtze Valley. Recurrent selection appears to be highly effective and feasible in shifting the average FHB response of the intermating population in the desirable direction, thereby enhancing the frequency of resistant individuals.