Quantitative trait loci for partial resistance to crown rust, Puccinia coronata, in cultivated oat, Avena sativa L.

To facilitate the detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for partial resistance to oat crown rust, Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae Eriks., a genetic map was generated in a population of 158 F(6)-derived oat recombinant inbred lines from a cross of a partial resistance line MN841801-1 by a susceptible cultivar selection 'Noble-2'. The map, developed using 230 marker loci, mostly restriction fragment length polymorphism and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers, spanned 1,509 cM (Haldane) arranged into 30 linkage groups of 2-18 markers each. Four consistently detected major QTLs for partial rust resistance, Prq1a, Prq1b, Prq2, and Prq7, and three minor QTLs, Prq3, Prq5, and Prq6, were found in tests involving three field and two greenhouse environments. In addition, two major QTLs for flowering time, Ftq1 and Ftq7, and five weaker QTLs, Ftq2, Ftq3, Ftq4, Ftq5, and Ftq6, were revealed. Overlapping of the map segments of Ftq1 and Prq1 and of Ftq7 and Prq7 suggested either linkage between the flowering time QTLs and resistance QTLs or a pleiotropic effect of the Ftq QTLs on rust resistance. Relatively low heritability estimates (0.30) obtained for partial resistance to crown rust in the field indicate a potential value for marker-assisted selection.

Evaluation of Components of Partial Resistance to Oat Crown Rust Using Digital Image Analysis.

Digital image analysis is an objective and nondestructive method potentially capable of providing accurate and precise estimates of disease resistance components. This study was conducted to quantify components of partial resistance to crown rust through the analysis of sequential digital images of inoculated leaves of adult oat plants, and to compare components found in two sources of resistance unrelated genetically. Uredinium density, relative infection frequency, latent period, days to first pustule appearance, uredinium size, and disease progress rates were assessed on three oat lines (RS-line 3W-C2R-9-3b, MN-841801, Starter) in two greenhouse experiments. Resistant lines had fewer and smaller uredinia, and these appeared later than in the susceptible check. Relative infection frequency, latent period, and uredinium size were equally important components in the expression of the partial resistance to crown rust, and the two sources of resistance could not be differentiated by any of the variables studied. The analysis of sequential digital images of diseased leaves produced precise estimates of partial resistance components and disease progress rates.

Micronuclei frequency and character coherence inAvena sativa L./A.fatua L. crosses.

The use of micronuclei frequency per microspore quartet (MF) has been proposed to indicate the relative reduction in chromosome homology among interspecific oat (Avena L.) hybrids. Hybrids with lower MF would presumably undergo greater genetic recombination, providing greater opportunity for breaking linkages that contribute to association, or coherence, of desirable and undesirable characters in progenies. Microspore quartets from 63A. sativa/A. fatua hybrids were observed. Character coherence was examined in progenies of the four hybrids with the highest MF (2.22 to 2.82 micronuclei/quartet) and four hybrids with the lowest MF (0.23 to 0.31 micronuclei/quartet) to determine whether a relationship existed between MF and character coherence. Coherence of seed disarticulation with quantitative characters that differentiate the parental species was more frequent in high MF crosses as was expected if high MF is indicative of reduced recombination. However, incidence of coherence between seed color and the quantitative characters was not related to MF differences among the crosses. Likewise, the degree of coherence among the quantitative characters, as measured by coefficients of concordance, was not associated with differences in MF among the crosses. Thus, coherence of the characters studied was not associated consistently with differences in MF.

Studies on lysine analogs, aspartate-derived amino acids, and attempted mutant selection on oat seedlings.

The lysine analogs S-2-aminoethyl-L-cysteine (AEC) and DL-Δ-hydroxylysine (DHL) caused severe growth inhibition in dark-grown oat seedlings (Avena sativa L. and A. nuda L.) at similar concentrations while L-lysine methyl ester (LME) had little effect. Lysine, arginine, and ornithine reversed the inhibition caused by AEC and DHL, the order of effectiveness being lysine>arginine>ornithine. Of aspartate-pathway amino acids, tested individually and in combinations for inhibitory effects on seedling growth, lysine and combinations containing lysine were the most inhibitory, but the inhibition was much less than that produced by AEC. Only slight synergistic effects occurred when oat seedlings were grown in the presence of paired combinations of aspartatepathway endproduct amino acids.Ca. 54,000 seeds obtained from 3,463 plants grown from ethyl-methanesulfonate (EMS) treated seed were screened for resistance to AEC. Three resistant variants were identified but the resistance was not recovered among their self-pollinated progeny.