Vitamin E suppresses deoxynivalenol accumulation in wheat via a favorable <i>HGGT</i> allele: From marker development to germplasm screening and breeding utilization

Abstract This study demonstrates that vitamin E suppresses deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) kernels. Following the cloning of HGGT (a key gene for vitamin E biosynthesis) and development of insertion‐deletion markers IndHggt1 and IndHggt2, we found that cultivars carrying the favorable allele exhibited significantly reduced toxin levels ( p &lt; 0.05) in 31 wheat varieties. Further validation in a natural population comprising 113 commercial cultivars, landraces, and breeding lines revealed that under non‐inoculated conditions, genotypes with the favorable allele exhibited 76.5% lower DON content and 37.9% higher vitamin E levels in kernels. Following inoculation, DON content decreased by 51.3% ( p &lt; 0.01), with a 49.7% reduction in the toxin accumulation rate. Three elite germplasms (YM18, YM33, and SM3) high combining vitamin E, low DON accumulation, and disease resistance were identified. Twenty‐two hybrid crosses were produced from YM33 and YM18 as parental lines. Eight lines derived from eight combinations were confirmed to harbor the favorable allele of HGGT . Six of these exhibited desirable disease resistance alongside superior agronomic performance, serving as valuable genetic resources. This research provides functional markers and germplasm resources for pyramiding breeding aimed at enhancing DON resistance and nutritional vitamin E content.