Wolfgang Friedt

• Prof. Dr.agr. Dr.h.c.
• Professor Emeritus at University of Giessen

Multi-environmental trials (MET) with temporal and spatial variance are crucial for understanding genotype-environment-management (GxExM) interactions in crops. Here, we present a MET dataset for winter wheat in Germany. The dataset encompasses MET spanning six years (2015–2020), six locations and nine crop management scenarios (consisting of combi...

In cereal crops, environmental fluctuations affect different physiological processes during various developmental phases associated with the formation of yield components. Because these effects are coupled with cultivar-specific phenology, studies investigating environmental responses in different cultivars can give contradictory results regarding...

Rapeseed meal, a by-product of oilseed extraction related to the agri-food and biofuel industries due to its favourable composition of essential amino acids, is currently utilised for animal feed. In this study, 166 doubled haploid (DH) rapeseed lines from the segregating Brassica napus doubled haploid population YE2-DH were genetically and chemica...

Breeding has substantially increased the genetic yield potential, but fungal pathogens are still major constraints for wheat production. Therefore, breeding success for resistance and its impact on yield were analyzed on a large panel of winter wheat cultivars, representing breeding progress in Germany during the last decades, in large scale field...

Key message Exploring large genomic data sets based on the latest reference genome assembly identifies the rice ortholog APO1 as a key candidate gene for number of rachis nodes per spike in wheat. Abstract Increasing grain yield in wheat is a key breeding objective worldwide. Several component traits contribute to grain yield with spike attributes...

The world cropping area for wheat exceeds that of any other crop, and high grain yields in intensive wheat cropping systems are essential for global food security. Breeding has raised yields dramatically in high-input production systems; however, selection under optimal growth conditions is widely believed to diminish the adaptive capacity of culti...

Kahiluoto et al. (1) assert that climate resilience in Eu-ropean wheat has declined due to current breedingpractices. To support this alarming claim, the authorsreport yield variance data indicating increasingly ho-mogeneous responses to climatic fluctuations inmodern wheat cultivars. They evaluated“responsediversity,”a measure of responses to envi...

Key message The novel Rfm3 locus causing undesired fertility restoration in the msm1 cytoplasm of winter barley is located on the short arm of chromosome 6H. Abstract Undesired fertility restoration of cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) mother lines in absence of the functional Rfm1 restorer gene is a significant problem for hybrid breeding in winter...

Variation in root architecture is essential for the adaptation of plants to target environments. A non‐destructive gel‐based mini‐rhizotron system was used for root architecture trait phenotyping. This system has facilitated the visualization of root architectural traits in large genotype collection of rapeseed including 94 double haploid (DH) line...

In the majority of wheat growing areas worldwide, the incidence of drought stress has increased significantly resulting in a negative impact on plant development and grain yield. Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis is known to improve drought stress tolerance of wheat. However, quantitative trait loci (QTL) involved in the response to drought stress c...

Background Fungal pathogens like Fusarium graminearum can cause severe yield losses and mycotoxin contamination of food and feed worldwide. We recently showed its ability to systemically colonize wheat via root infection. However, the molecular response of wheat to Fusarium root rot (FRR) infection and systemic spread is still unknown. As a molecul...

The ongoing global intensification of wheat production will likely be accompanied by a rising pressure of Fusarium diseases. While utmost attention was given to Fusarium head blight (FHB) belowground plant infections of the pathogen have largely been ignored. The current knowledge about the impact of soil borne Fusarium infection on plant performan...

Good germination and seedling vigour are major breeding targets in winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus), because seedling vigour and prewinter crop establishment are closely associated with postwinter growth and yield. Here, we identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to germination, seedling vigour and seedling‐regulated hormones in a doub...

Winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the third most important crop in Germany, mainly used for animal fodder. As an autogamous cereal, the majority of registered barley varieties are true breeding inbred lines. However, breeding efforts are today tending towards the incorporation of hybrid varieties, which combine higher yields with a better yield...

Rapeseed or canola (B. napus) is the second most important oilseed crop of the world. It is also a favourite plant for basic and breeding research. Due to its origin and evolution, rapeseed has a complex polyploid genome. Recent sequencing of the corresponding genomes provides the basis for a better understanding and exploitation of the genetic div...

Fusarium graminearum is a major pathogen of wheat causing Fusarium head blight (FHB). Its ability to colonize wheat via seedling root infection has been reported recently. Our previous study on Fusarium root rot (FRR) has disclosed histological characteristics of pathogenesis and pathogen defense that mirror processes of spike infection. Therefore,...

Winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) can be a valuable supplement as whole plant silage for bioenergy production due to positive effects of plant cover over winter and the possibility of growing a subsequent second crop after barley. However, to be competitive with other bioenergy crops, barley dry matter yield (DMY) needs to be enhanced. Therefore,...

Bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) is a major staple food and therefore of prime importance for feeding the Earth's growing population. Mycorrhiza is known to improve plant growth, but although extensive knowledge concerning the interaction between mycorrhizal fungi and plants is available, genotypic differences concerning the ability of wheat to fo...

Systemic colonisation of wheat via root infection is a new aspect in the pathogenesis of the head blight fungus Fusarium graminearum, and mass spectrometry (MS) imaging is a new tool in the plant pathology research. As molecular camera that visualizes compounds in plant tissues, the technology combines label-free and multiplex metabolite profiling...

Aim: The objective of this work was the search for morphological and molecular markers useful for the analysis of genetic diversity of Origanum vulgare L. subsp. glandulosum in the northern region of Tunisia. Study Design: The study of genetic diversity of Origanum vulgare L. subsp. glandulosum was assessed using RAPD- PCR, sequence analysis of the...

Potato tuber protein could be a valuable alternative in human and animal nutrition due to its adequate nutritional value and competitive protein yield per hectare. In this study, crude protein content (CPC) and dry matter content (DMC) of potato tuber samples (n = 117) prepared in different ways (fresh and dried samples) were analysed to develop pr...

Key message SNP markers were developed for the OWBM resistance gene Sm1 that will be useful for MAS. The wheat Sm1 region is collinear with an inverted syntenic interval in B. distachyon. Abstract Orange wheat blossom midge (OWBM, Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin) is an important insect pest of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in many growing regions. Sm1 is...

The Brassica napus (oilseed rape) accession 1012-98 shows a disturbed germination phenotype that was thought to be associated with its lack of testa pigmentation and thin seed coat. Here, we demonstrate that the disturbed germination and seedling development are actually due to independent mutations that disrupt the balance of hormone metabolites a...

Internal standards used for hormone quantification by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS.

Multi-alignment of ARF10 proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana (At), Brassica rapa (Bra), B. oleracea (Bol), and the B. napus (Bna) lines Express 617 (E617) and 1012-98. The background shading represents the degree of similarity, with 100% conserved amino acids shown by black shading, strongly conserved amino acids in gray tones and variable positions...

See and seedling phenotype data for 1012-98, Express 617 and 166 doubled haploid (DH) lines derived from their F1 hybrid.

Pairwise identities (%) in genomic/coding regions (above diagonal) and deduced protein sequences (below diagonal) from ARF10 orthologs in A. thaliana (At), B. rapa (Bra), B. oleracea (Bol) natural B. napus (Bna) line Express 617 (E617) and resynthesized B. napus line 1012-98, respectively. Locus/allele nomenclature follows the convention for Brassi...

Aims Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has become a major global megatrend for sustainable agricultural production, particularly in association with the reduced release of nitrogen-derived greenhouse gases from soils and nitrate contamination of waterways. Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), the second most important oilseed crop worldwide, requires rela...

In previous genome-wide association studies, marker–trait associations for grain yield and additional traits of agronomic importance were identified in the German winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) breeding gene pool. In the present study, seven doubled haploid populations segregating for the relevant alleles at the associated loci were used to get...

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is regarded a drought-tolerant alternative to maize as a bioenergy and fodder crop, but its early-stage chilling sensitivity is obstructing a successful implementation in temperate areas. While several studies have identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying chilling tolerance-related traits in sorghum li...

Improving the roots of modern bread wheat varieties is considered to be one key factor in breaking yield barriers and improving adaptation to extreme abiotic stress conditions in the face of climate change. However, wheat roots have been insufficiently characterized to date, and further molecular investigations that develop diagnostic markers and t...

An untapped promising potential to increase the stagnating yields of modern wheat and to enhance the productivity for its use as food, feed, and an increasingly important bioenergy resource is believed to lie in the plants’ “hidden half”, the root system. In wheat, root traits have been associated with higher productivity and yields, improved nutri...

Meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds., Fp) is well adapted to various biotic and abiotic stresses and has a high nutritional value. Unfortunately, meadow fescue is not sufficiently competitive in mixed stand with the major forage grass perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L., Lp) since the intensity of grassland cultivation has increased. Main disad...

Rapeseed is one of the most important sources of edible oil, raw material for industry, as well as feed. The yield and quality of rapeseed have significantly been improved in recent decades as a result of intensive breeding and optimized production technology. The application of Mendel's rules in introducing monogenic traits has also contributed to...

Oilseed rape (OSR) (Brassica napus L.) is the world's second oilseed crop. Breeding of OSR and sustained growth over the last three decades has been largely driven by biotechnology applications including doubled haploid (DH) and molecular marker technologies and has been resulting in the transition from line (OP) to hybrid varieties in the market....

Mass spectrometry (MS) imaging provides spatial and molecular information for a wide range of compounds. This tool can be used to investigate metabolic changes in plant physiology and environmental interaction. A major challenge in our study was to prepare tissue sections which were compatible with high spatial resolution analysis and therefore ded...

Sorghum is regarded a promising bioenergy crop and may be an alternative to maize for biogas use in temperate Europe in the near future. Presently, the principal shortcoming compared to maize besides chilling sensitivity during juvenile development is that current sorghum varieties fail to combine a high dry matter yield with adequate dry matter co...

Silique length (SL) and seed weight (SW) are important yield-associated traits in rapeseed (Brassica napus). Although many quantitative trait loci (QTL) for SL and SW have been identified in B. napus, comparative analysis for those QTL is seldom performed. In the present study, 20 and 21 QTL for SL and SW were identified in doubled haploid (DH) and...

Fusarium graminearum (Fg) is one of the most common and potent fungal pathogens of wheat (Triticum aestivum), known for causing devastating spike infections and grain yield damage. Fg is a typical soil-borne pathogen that builds up during consecutive cereal cropping. Speculations on systemic colonisations of cereals by Fg root infection have existe...

Genetic diversity represents the fundamental key to breeding success, providing the basis for breeders to select varieties with constantly improving yield performance. On the other hand, strong selection during domestication and breeding have eliminated considerable genetic diversity in the breeding pools of major crops, causing erosion of genetic...

Key message: Sclerotinia resistance was transferred into rapeseed from a wild relative of Brassica oleracea (B. incana) using hexaploids derived from crosses between B. incana and rapeseed as a bridge. A high level of resistance against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum has been documented in wild Brassica oleracea, but not in cultivated rapeseed (Brassica...

RÉSUMÉ La caractérisation moléculaire de 28 sources CMS et le cytoplasme fertile de l’H. annuus ont démontré que des cytoplasmes d’origines différentes font preuve d’une similarité importante que leur origine ne pouvait pas laisser prévoir. L’analyse de groupement, au moyen de la méthode UPGMA et les données obtenues pour RFLP, a permis la différen...

SUMMARY Map-based cloning of the restorer gene Rf1, responsible for fertility resto- ration of the PET1 cytoplasm in sunflower, requires tightly linked markers to the gene of interest. Screening 1200 decamer primers by bulked segregant analyses identified seven RAPD markers mapping on the same linkage group as the restorer gene Rf1. In the F2 popul...

RÉSUMÉ Chez le tournesol, l’amélioration des hybrides commerciaux est basée sue l’induction unique CMS du cytoplasme, ce dernier étant appelé cytoplasme PET1. L’introgression du gène Rf1 dans le génome est dans la plupart des cas suffisante pour la restauration de la fertilité. Le mode d’action du gène Rf1 restaurateur de fertilité est peu connu. A...

RESUMEN El método del organogénesis directo, fue aplicado con éxito para la superación de la barrera para el cruzamiento entre Helianthus annuus (cv. Albena) y Verbesina helianthoides (género Verbesina). Como resultado de una selección individual de varios años del material híbrido, las líneas restauradores de fertilidad fueron creadas en la genera...

RESUME De nouvelles cartes génétiques de ségrégation pour les populations du croisement RHA325(cms) × HA342 contenant 183 plantes de F2 ont été créées. La ligne cultivée américaine RHA325 est ouverte, basée au cytoplasme PET1, tandis que la ligne HA342 est le maintien pour ce cytoplasme. La population F2 et les populations dérivées sont les résulta...

Interspecific hybridization is frequently restricted by genetic cross incompatibilities, genetic distances and different ploidy levels. To overcome this incompatibility a direct organogenesis method has been used successfully. Different molecular methods have been used for verification of success interspecific and intergeneric crosses. It could be...

A selection of lipids from achenes, cotyledons after germination, roots and leaves of normal and high oleic varieties of sunflower were analyzed with regard to their fatty acid profiles. The lipids included triacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine as ER-made components and mono-and digalactosyl diacylglycerol as plastid-localized glycolipids. A comp...

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease of wheat and barley. In wheat it is mainly caused by the fungal pathogens Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum. We report the identification and evaluation of candidate genes for quantitative FHB resistance. These genes showed altered expression levels in the moderately resistant winter whea...

A set of about 100 winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars, comprising diverse and economically important German barley elite germplasm released during the last six decades, was previously genotypically characterized by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers using the Illumina GoldenGate BeadArray Technology to detect associations with p...

Three different oligonucleotides, consisting of simple repetitive sequences, were employed in non-radioactive hybridization experiments in order to verify the applicability of the oligo-fingerprinting technique in surveys of genetic relationships. As a indicator for similarity, “band sharing” coefficients were calculated in some instances, which ca...

These results were confirmed by the methods of PCR-and DNA-fingerprinting, because no differentiation between the donor plant and the regenerated plants could be found. Although only three plants had been investigated by molecular methods, the rest of the plants are also supposed to be clones of genotype' 11/51' due to isozyme analysis and the simi...

The most thoroughly investigated CMS type in sunflower is the PETI (or Leclercq) cytoplasm. The organization of the mtDNA of male sterile (PETI cytoplasm) and fertile lines differs only by an 11 kb inversion and a 5 kb insertion. Due to this insertion a new open reading frame. orfH522, is created in the 3'-flanking region of the atpA gene. The pres...

In the last decades sunflower has taken an enormous boost as an oil seed crop and is ranking today second to soybean in world vegetable oil production. Besides the good adaption of the plant to different growing conditions and its high oil quality for consumption and industrial uses the development of the crop was promoted mainly by classical sunfl...

Barley yellow dwarf disease (BYD) is transmitted by aphids and is caused by different strains of Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV). Economically it is one of the most important diseases of cereals worldwide. Besides chemical control of the vector, growing of tolerant/resistant cultivars is an effective way of pro...

Тhe direct organogenesis method in immature F1 embryos from sunflower was successfully applied for production of new forms from the interspecific crosses H. annuus (cv. Albena) x H. tuberosus, H. annuus (cv. Albena) x H. salicifolius and intergeneric cross Helianthus annuus (cv. Albena) x Verbisina helianthoides (genera Verbisina). After repeated s...

Sorghum is a promising alternative to maize for bioenergy production in Europe, however its use is currently limited by poor adaptation to low temperatures during and after germination. We collected multi-trait phenotype data under optimal and suboptimal temperatures in a genetically-diverse recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population showing...

With its small, diploid and completely sequenced genome, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is highly amenable to genomics-based breeding approaches. Here, we describe the development and testing of a robust single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array platform that enables polymorphism screening for genome-wide and trait-linked polymorphisms in gen...

The international biodiesel market is dominated by rapeseed oil, followed by soybean and palm oil. However, other crop platforms such as camelina and the recently emerged Ethiopian mustard hold promise as new biodiesel feedstocks. This chapter presents an overview on sustainability considerations associated with each of these oil crops. Life-cycle...

Barley is still one of the major agricultural crops in Europe although cultivation area and grain production are obviously declining. While winter barley is clearly outyielding spring barley, the latter is generally characterised by superior malting and brewing quality. Nonetheless, the use of winter barley is continuously replacing spring barley n...

A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) influencing seed fibre and colour in Brassica napus was dissected by marker saturation in a doubled haploid (DH) population from the black-seeded oilseed rape line ‘Express 617’ crossed with a yellow-seeded B. napus line, ‘1012–98’. The marker at the peak of a sub-QTL with a strong effect on both seed colour a...

Soil-borne barley yellow mosaic virus disease, caused by different strains of Barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) and Barley mild mosaic virus (BaMMV), is one of the most important diseases of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Europe and East Asia. The recessive resistance gene rym11 located in the centromeric region of chromosome 4HL is effecti...

In total, 42 accessions of Origanum vulgare L., mostly originating from Europe, were evaluated, to detect molecular, quantitative morphological, and chemotype polymorphisms and to discover possible correlations between them. Twelve traits related to morphological characteristics were measured. The components in the essential oils were identified by...

Verticillium longisporum is a major threat to production of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in Europe. The aim of the study was to develop new markers and obtain insights into putative mechanisms and pathways involved in the resistance reaction. A genetic approach was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for V. longisporum resistance and me...

The cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most important oil crops in the world. The importance of sunflower oil in human nutrition and in the chemical industry makes the sunflower a major research interest. An essential element for genomic libraries is the preparation of high molecular weight (HMW) DNA. We developed 2 methods f...

Background Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium species like F. graminearum is a devastating disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum) worldwide. Mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol produced by the fungus affect plant and animal health, and cause significant reductions of grain yield and quality. Resistant varieties are the only effective way to...

Table 1. Dream FHB-responsive genes categorised as defence related. Supplemental table showing 117 genes that are FHB-responsive induced or repressed in the resistant genotype Dream. Genes were revealed by transcriptome analysis using Affymetrix GeneChip Wheat Genome Array and assigned to 11 gene classes related to a defence response, as well as to...

Table 2. Dream genotype-specific genes categorised as defence related. Supplemental table showing 173 constitutive Dream controlled genes. Genes were revealed by transcriptome analysis using Affymetrix GeneChip Wheat Genome Array and assigned to 11 gene classes related to a defence response, as well as to the respective timepoints of differential e...