What is it about?
This review looks at why molecular markers that have been reported to identify Russian wheat aphid (RWA) resistance in wheat do not always work. Often publications are cited saying "there are markers for Diuraphis noxia resistance". Many of these markers only work under the circumstances they were developed in. Most RWA markers have not been validated in different wheat backgrounds. The RWA biotypes used to do the association mapping need to be stipulated as the target of the resistance that has been identified, as the "resistance" is not necessarily applicable to other RWA biotypes.
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Why is it important?
This paper is complicated and highlights the fact that resistance to insects in wheat is complicated. One cannot simply find a piece of DNA associated with a resistance trait and jump to the conclusion that it is a robust and useful marker. Most resistance breeding for Russian wheat aphid is done with actual phenotyping because the markers are not well developed enough. The perception is that there are markers therefore funding is hard to come buy, to address the problem
Perspectives
I hope this article makes scientists think about ensuring the application of their work in the real world and that they make sure their research has a practical use (in addition to publishing). It is good science when research results actually contribute a reliable tool to an applied scientist. This way science and research can be used to make the world a better place. That is a really great contribution to make.
Dr Vicki L Tolmay
Agricultural Research Council-Small Grain, South Africa
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Elusive Diagnostic Markers for Russian Wheat Aphid Resistance in Bread Wheat: Deliberating and Reviewing the Status Quo, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, November 2020, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21218271.
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