The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service awarded North Dakota State University $201,967 on May 1, 2026, under the Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research program (CFDA 10.001) to breed durum wheat for Fusarium head blight resistance.
The work includes breeding FHB-resistant durum wheat lines, screening candidate lines for FHB resistance in greenhouses and irrigated field nurseries, evaluating lines for deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination, conducting marker-assisted selection at the USDA-ARS Genotyping Center in Fargo, North Dakota, evaluating FHB-resistant lines for quality traits, and developing new populations from novel resistance sources. Performance occurs in Fargo, North Dakota, with a period of performance through April 30, 2030.