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New spring wheat germplasm promises to reduce Fusarium losses

from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service
Jan 9, 2026
Jan 9, 2026

Spring wheat gene — Plant image of the spring wheat with FHB resistance gene Fhb7, left, and its chromosome image, right. The terminal green segments on two chromosomes contain Fhb7.
Photos provided by Xiwen Cai

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from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service

Researchers released a new spring wheat germplasm line with resistance to Fusarium head blight. This challenging fungal disease leads to significant annual economic losses in cereal crop production, estimated at $2.7 billion between 1998 and 2000, and poses health risks to consumers.

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The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America.