Quantitative expression analysis of candidate genes for Septoria tritici blotch resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Septoria tritici blotch (STB), caused by the ascomycete fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola (asexual stage: Septoria tritici), is one of the most important foliar diseases of wheat. In this research, quantitative expression analysis of five candidate genes for the induction of resistance to STB (PR-1, Bsi, Msr, Per, and Ppi) was conducted in the wheat cultivars ‘Seri 82’ (susceptible) and ‘Frontana’ (resistant). The study used a randomized complete block design with three replications and five time-points (0, 3, 6, 12, and 24hours after inoculation). Evaluation of the expression of five candidate genes by real-time PCR showed that expression of Per, pr-1, Bsi, Msr genes was higher than 5, 3, 3 and 2 fold in treatment vs. control samples in ‘Frontana’ at 12 hours after inoculation respectively. The results indicated the effectiveness of these genes in the conferral of resistance to STB in wheat.