Characterizing the <i>Pyrenophora teres</i> f. <i>maculata</i>–Barley Interaction Using Pathogen Genetics

Abstract

<i>Pyrenophora teres</i> f. <i>maculata</i> is the cause of the foliar disease spot form net blotch (SFNB) on barley. To evaluate pathogen genetics underlying the <i>P. teres</i> f. <i>maculata</i>-barley interaction, we developed a 105-progeny population by crossing two globally diverse isolates, one from North Dakota and the other from Western Australia. Progeny were phenotyped on a set of four barley genotypes showing a differential reaction to the parental isolates, then genotyped using a restriction site-associated-genotype-by-sequencing (RAD-GBS) approach. Genetic maps were developed for use in quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis to identify virulence-associated QTL. Six QTL were identified on five different linkage groups and individually accounted for 20-37% of the disease variation, with the number of significant QTL ranging from two to four for the barley genotypes evaluated. The data presented demonstrate the complexity of virulence involved in the <i>P. teres</i> f. <i>maculata</i>-barley pathosystem and begins to lay the foundation for understanding this important interaction.