CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The aim of this manuscript was to identify new sources of resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) in Argentinean wheat cultivars and lines, compared to known resistant international cultivars. For that purpose, the behavior against Fusarium graminearum as estimative of type I resistance or resistance to penetration of the pathogen in the wheat spike (Triticum aestivum) was evaluated. The assays were carried out under field conditions in Marcos Juárez location, Córdoba (Argentina) during 2010, with partial control of humidity and temperature, by artificial inoculation of wheat spikes. The assays were sown according to a statistical design of randomized complete blocks with two repetitions. Statistical analyzes were performed using ANOVA; means of incidence and severity variables were compared by Fisher LSD test to determine the significant differences among the different treatments. Resistance was evaluated through pathometrics and yield variables. The F. graminearum isolate used was highly infective and allowed us to evaluate the disease in 210 genotypes. There were statistical differences (p ≤ 0.05) in all variables except for incidence. However, in the international cultivars, significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found only for the variable ?thousand grains weight?. In another set of genotypes, integrated by advanced wheat lines of different maturity dates, the behavior to disease can be considered good due to the fact that many of the lines showed moderately resistance (57 %) and moderately susceptible (40 %). Evaluation of resistance to FHB of the all genotypes (cultivars and national and international lines) allowed identifying different levels of disease resistance. Therefore, knowledge of the genetic behavior of resistance of the evaluated germoplasm, characterized by wide genetic variability, could be considered as new possible genetic contributions to be used in new crosses to ensure the improved varieties against Fusarium head blight.