Diversity in Wheat homoalleles encoding small secreted proteins that mediate Disease Resistance to Septoria tritici blotch

The global challenge of increasing food production by 60% to feed a projected population of 10 billion by 2050 necessitates enhancing agricultural productivity and minimizing crop losses due to pathogens. Fungal pathogens significantly impact cereal crop production, particularly bread wheat (Triticum aestivum). Disease such as Septoria tritici Blotch (STB) caused by the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici (Z. tritici) results in substantial yield losses.

Current control methods involve resistant cultivars and fungicides, but Z. tritici's adaptability threatens their effectiveness.

WHEAT-DR aims to understand natural resistance mechanisms in wheat against Z. tritici by investigating the role of specific genes in disease resistance. These genes, TaSSP6, TaSSP7, and TaSRTRG6, interact with Z. tritici's secreted proteins (effectors) and are crucial for defense. By studying these genes' homeologs (variants on different wheat genomes), the project seeks to determine their contribution to disease resistance and aid in future breeding strategies.

The project's specific objectives include assessing the contributions of individual homeologous genes to disease resistance, determining the genetic diversity of key genes across diverse wheat cultivars, and investigating the interactions between these genes and Z. tritici's effector.

Overall, "WHEAT-DR" strives to advance our understanding of wheat's defense mechanisms against Z. tritici and potentially revolutionize strategies for developing disease-resistant wheat varieties, thereby contributing to global food security.