Elusive Diagnostic Markers for Russian Wheat Aphid Resistance in Bread Wheat: Deliberating and Reviewing the Status Quo

• Main Authors: Vicki L. Tolmay, Scott L. Sydenham, Thandeka N. Sikhakhane, Bongiwe N. Nhlapho, Toi J. Tsilo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: <i>Diuraphis noxia</i> (Kurdjumov); host plant resistance; insect-resistance breeding; marker-assisted selection; <i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/21/8271

Russian wheat aphid, <i>Diuraphis noxia</i> (Kurdjumov), is a severe pest of wheat, <i>Triticum aestivum</i> L., throughout the world. Resistant cultivars are viewed as the most economical and environmentally viable control available. Studies to identify molecular markers to facilitate resistance breeding started in the 1990s, and still continue. This paper reviews and discusses the literature pertaining to the <i>D. noxia</i> R-genes on chromosome 7D, and markers reported to be associated with them. Individual plants with known phenotypes from a panel of South African wheat accessions are used as examples. Despite significant inputs from various research groups over many years, diagnostic markers for resistance to <i>D. noxia</i> remain elusive. Factors that may have impeded critical investigation, thus blurring the accumulation of a coherent body of information applicable to <i>Dn</i> resistance, are discussed. This review calls for a more fastidious approach to the interpretation of results, especially considering the growing evidence pointing to the complex regulation of aphid resistance response pathways in plants. Appropriate reflection on prior studies, together with emerging knowledge regarding the complexity and specificity of the <i>D. noxia</i>–wheat resistance interaction, should enable scientists to address the challenges of protecting wheat against this pest in future.