Characterizing the Genetic Architecture of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in a Cornell Winter Wheat Breeding Panel Using GWAS

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is an important crop worldwide, serving as a food staple and is a basic crop for food security and agricultural economies. Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is a fungal disease that causes significant grain yield losses and mycotoxin contamination which is harmful to both animal and human health. My project will use association mapping to scan the wheat genome for resistance alleles and to develop markers for these genes that breeding programs can use to select FHB-resistant wheat.

About Jennifer Owiyo

Jennifer Owiyo is a senior at Cornell University majoring in Biological Sciences and passionate about crop genetics and plant disease resistance. Under the mentorship of Jean-Luc Yannink, she studies disease resistance in Fusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating fungal disease that reduces wheat yield and contaminates grain with the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol. As a 2026 recipient of the Focused Seed Grant, Jennifer will characterize the genetic architecture of FHB resistance in a Cornell winter wheat breeding panel using genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The project aims to identify genomic regions and markers associated with resistance that breeders can use to develop more resilient varieties. Through this work, Jennifer is gaining hands-on experience in field phenotyping, genomic data analysis, and translational breeding. She plans to attain further research experience within disease genetics and is committed to developing wheat varieties that protect farmers and food safety.