Report
Second Annual Meeting FUCOMYR - Project QLKT-2001-02044
Project:
Novel tools for developing Fusarium resistant and toxin free wheat for Europe.
Date
of meeting:
September 11 (9.00-18.00 hours) to September 12, 2003 (9.00 to 17.00
hours)
Place of the
meeting: UCD,
Dublin, Ireland
Time
schedule:
Start 1. day, final 2. day
Prof. P. Ruckenbauer (PM) (Project coordinator), Dr. U. Scholz (US) (Project manager), Dr. M. Lemmens (ML), Dr. H. Buerstmayr (HB) (WP2 coordinator) (Austria), Prof. A. Mesterhazy (AM) (WP1 coordinator) (Hungary), Dr. F. Doohan (FD) (WP3 coordinator), Prof. M. Cooke (MC), Dr. R. Browne (RB), K. Ansari (KA) (Ireland), Dr. P. Nicholson (PN) (United Kingdom), Lars Eriksen (LE) (Denmark), Dr. Julia Lafferty (JL) (Austria), Dr. J. Schondelmaier (JS) (Germany) and Dr. G. Adam (GA), Dr. R. Mitterbauer (RM), D. Lucyshyn (DL) (Austria), Dr. R. Hardwick and Prof. Magan invited
Program:
1.
Introduction
Welcome
by MC and FD; Appointing of PR and US as chairperson and secretary,
respectively.
2.
Approve of last meeting minutes
Last meeting minutes were unanimously approved, the following matters arose from last meeting: 1) Meeting date change due to the overlapping with the international wheat genetics symposium, which takes place only every five years. 2) Delays in financial contributions by the EU commission were encountered. 3) WP1: Second replicate of screening nursery and third mapping population not planted in Tulln will be done in year 3. 4) WP2: Better correspondence between Tulln and Szeged data desirable. 5) WP3: No intermediate WP3 related meeting in Vienna, all required discussions here at the meeting. 6) All WPs: Deadline for annual reporting remains tight.
3. Correspondence
a) Feedback concerning the successful financial transfer was missing,
b) Respond to request of information in time, c) Follow suggested schedule for reporting
4.
Finances
Received with delay in July and August based on cost statements correct or to be corrected, respectively. Several inquiries were necessary since the due date Feb 15, 2003. For first group of recipients the eligible amount deducted by 40% to recover part of the initial payment, while for
second group of recipients the eligible amount would have been deducted by 23% to recover part of the initial payment. In the interest of a balanced treatment of each partner, the coordination transferred 60% to all partner. We decided to split the future financial rate by regarding the overall payment per partner minus 15 percent, which will be paid by the commission after the final report was accepted. We will in future allow a waiting time of four months before requesting the expedited handling of financial transfer to our project.
5.
Detailed discussion of all work packages
WP1
After
a detailed presentation of screening data from 2003 and the basics of FHB
resistance the status of progress in WP1 has been reported by AM and ML (ST1,
ST2, ST3, ST4). The relation between the Hungarian toxin analysis and Austrian
disease reading remains to be done. All scientific activities as well as
deliverables and milestones of WP 1 for the second project year will be achieved
with the exception of the following experiments, which will be repeated again in
2004: screening nursery in Austria with 2 isolates and 2 replicates (ST1) and
CM/Remus mapping population and Arina/Riband mapping population in Hungary and
Austria, respectively (ST2). These experiments were affected by severe weather
conditions at autumn planting and in winter 2003. During the 2003 season, the
later maturing lines of the Frontana/Remus population exhibited higher disease
level than early maturing lines. The ergosterol and DNA analysis from 2002 did
not show differences between the different QTL groups. To compare inoculation
techniques and location effect based on breeding line nurseries, a second year
is required for reliable statements. SEJET will receive the screening nursery
field data from Tulln. Clear differences between genotypes (QTL groups) of
mapping populations towards toxin tolerance was observed. No limitations for the
deliverables and milestones due in year 3 are foreseen. The time window between
harvest, phenotyping and data evaluation remains very narrow, therefore a
postponement of the due date for the second annual report was requested from the
scientific officer. The presentation of the WP1 results will be accessible in
the password protected area of the FUCOMYR website.
WP2
All
scientific activities as well as deliverables and milestones of WP 2 to be
achieved within the second project year have been discussed in detail. The
deliverables and milestones will be achieved. Mapping is still difficult for
D-genome chromosomes, because of limited polymorphism of D-genome markers. while
QTL on A and B genome well covered and reliable.
ST1: QTL
mapping: mapping population 2 (Remus/Frontana)
is completed. Map construction was successful, two major QTL identified on 3A
and 5A, in addition several minor QTL on 1B, 2A, 2B,
3B, 4B and 6B. Mapping population 3 (Arina/Riband): a QTL on 6B was
confirmed as well as further QTL on 5B and 4A. All disease traits proved
valuable for QTL mapping, while toxin data are less reliable. Maps will be
refined in the coming season by adding additional SSR markers. PN will supply JS
with the maps and LOD charts for the Arina/Riband mapping population.
ST2:
High-resolution mapping populations are now advanced to F6-generation.
Genotyping is underway, phenotyping will start in 2004 as planned.
ST3:
Genetic diversity among 96 wheats: the number of required SSRs based on the
technical annex was exceeded by 30%. Genetic diversity was estimated based on
SSR allele diversity and illustrated in a cluster-tree.
No
difficulties for the deliverables and milestones due in year 3 are foreseen. The
presentation of the WP2 results will be accessible in the password protected
area of the FUCOMYR website.
WP3
Some
changes in the ambitious subtask 2 and 3 are suggested in this work package due
to recent developments within and outside the group of researchers. Detailed
information will be given in the second annual report and approval by the
scientific officer will be seeked prior to the potential start of any
adjustments. All scientific activities as well as deliverables and milestones of
WP 3 to be achieved within the second project year have been discussed in
detail. WP3 report was given by the principle investigators and
researcher [FD and RB, RM, DL and GA (ST1, ST2) and PN and GA
(ST3)]. RB reported on the progress with the detached leaf assay (WP3 ST1). PN
and RM reported on progress in analysing the RPL3 gene family in wheat (WP3
ST2.1). GA and PN reported on progress in analysing PDR 5 genes (WP3 ST2.2).
DL reported on the high number of GST genes predicted to exist in wheat
(WP3 ST2.3). PN reported on work to date to identify factors inhibiting
toxin accumulation and antifungal proteins (WP3, ST3.1 &3.2). GA discussed
the work on the benzoxazinoid content of different wheat cultivars and its
implications for trying to find markers for candidate benzoxazinoid synthesis
genes of wheat (WP3, ST3.3). KA
reported the detection of several genes which are up regulated in the presence
of DON (WP3 ST2.4). DL
reported the reduction of DON in a manipulated yeast assay. PN and GA
demonstrated the unforeseeable but now factual complexity of results for the
future direction of parts of ST2 & ST3. The Deliverables and milestones due
to date are generally achieved, but have implications for, and suggest that
modifications be made to, future work and milestones, based on results to date.
Details and solutions will be presented in the second annual report. The
presentations of the WP3 results will be accessible in the password protected
area of the FUCOMYR website.
Joint
dinner
6.
Special meetings for WP1, WP2 and WP3
Here
more detailed discussion in each work package group took place, giving room as
well for potentially required adjustments and suggestions. Results were
presented after the special meetings. Most important results will be presented
as short reports on our website.
Profound suggestions to clarify
some points of the sample agreement as well as partner comments were received
from JIC, SURL and SEJET and final draft has been produced. Major points of
ongoing concern were identified and during this program point adjusted or
discarded in an open forum. The pre-existing knowledge remains to be defined by
some partners. The final version will be distributed in short time to all
partners for signature.
8.
Other motions
Mycotoxin
cluster contacts: US reported about the cluster meeting in Uppsala, Sweden in
June 2003 and future cluster activities. ML presented some ideas for potential
Cereal-Fusarium research proposals within the 6th EU-Framework
program.
9.
Any other business
Layout
and structure of annual reports (distributed as handouts)
The
second annual report will be the second most important report after the final
report.
The
following remarks made by Richard Hardwick's should be regarded by all partners:
a)
Give person month subtask wise for Work package report as well as partner report
to allow better judgment about the contribution of each partner è
implication for past and present working hour recordings, b) Not to clear
enough, how database work is going on, therefore add databases to your report as
appendix, c) Give percent fulfillment of deliverables, which you are
working on, due to a later date than the actual reporting period
In
addition, you should follow the design of the first annual reports based on the
version submitted to EU and add all required information for the second
reporting period. For the reference for each partner, the electronic version of
the first annual report has been given to each partner. For further information,
please see the PowerPoint presentation of the Ireland meeting in 2003 (handout.ppt).
The
project website was accessed within the last eleven months 1066 times,
while the poster was downloaded 32 times. The project partner attention has been
reiterated for the Technological implementation plan, due at the end of
the project and produced by each partner to be submitted directly to the
commission. PN mentioned a newly established method for web-based submission.
10.
Next meeting
The
next meeting is the 30th month meeting in Austria, where the
participation of all steering committee members is required. February 23 and 24,
2004 has been set as meeting date.
11.
Laboratory tour
The
laboratory tour covered greenhouses and laboratories, where phytopathological
and molecular methods relevant for the project were presented. All project
members, except the ones holding simultaneously the steering committee meeting,
participated in the laboratory tour.
Joint
dinner
End
of meeting