2025/12/23 by Honglian Ye, Prakitchai Chotewutmontri, Naxin Huo +28 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Wheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology #Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food #Fungal and yeast genetics research
paper · pdf · doi:10.64898/2025.12.19.695602
openalex created_date 2025/12/23 · openalex publication_date 2025/12/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Aegilops caudata L. is a rich source of resistance genes to major wheat pathogens and pests, yet its complex genome structure and lack of a reference sequence have hindered genetic analysis, gene discovery, and introgression. Here, we report a high-quality genome sequence assembly of Ae. caudata accession S740-69, integrated with optical mapping to precisely delineate introgressed segments from structurally altered genomic regions in wheat-Ae. caudata translocation lines carrying a novel stem rust resistance gene. Resequencing and phenotyping of 95 diverse accessions, coupled with k-mer-based association mapping, enabled population-level identification of several novel loci for resistance to wheat pests and diseases, such as greenbug and stem rust. Virus-induced gene silencing confirmed Aecau6C01G127270 (SrAect1) as the first functionally characterized stem rust resistance gene from Ae. caudata. This new genomic framework provides a foundation for systematic mining of resistance genes in this species and their efficient introgression into wheat.