Identification of Resistance Alleles in Three Maize Populations With Teosinte Gene Introgression.

Fusarium ear rot (FER) is a common fungal disease in maize ( L.) caused by . Resistant germplasm resources for FER are rare in cultivated maize; however, teosintes ( ssp. and ssp. ), which are wild-type species of maize, have the potential to offer a novel source of resistance alleles to enhance pathogen resistance in modern maize. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify favorable alleles that confer significant levels of resistance toward FER. Three populations of BCF recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were developed by crossing two different teosintes, and , with maize inbred lines B73 and Zheng58, and were screened for FER resistance. We found that and had higher resistance toward in the leaves than B73 and Zheng58. However, the resistance toward s in the leaf and ear was unrelated among RILs. FER resistance was positively correlated with grain yield in the B73 × (BD) and Zheng58 × (ZP) populations, partly because the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of FER resistance and yield traits were located close together. Four coincident QTLs (bd5.177, bd10.140, zp4.066, and zp5.116) and two highly reliable resistance-yield synergistic QTLs (10.140 and zp4.066) were identified in the BD and ZP populations, opening up the possibility of breeding for FER resistance without reducing yield.