CHROMOSOME ENGINEERING OF WHEAT- AGROPYRON CRISTATUM AND GENE MINING OF THE NOVEL GERMPLASM Abstract uri icon

abstract

  • Germplasm enhancement and genetic improvement of wheat are of great significance for the development of breeding industry. Wild relatives of common wheat contain a large number of desirable genes that can be exploited for wheat improvement. Chromosome engineering is an effective way to transfer desirable genes from wild related plants to wheat. Agropyron Gaertn., one of the important wild relatives of common wheat, carries many disease resistance and yieldrelated genes which can be used for wheat genetic improvement. In this study, chromosome engineering was used to transfer desirable genes, such as powdery mildew and leaf rust resistance genes, from A. cristatum into wheat based on the establishment of efficient inducing technology of heterologous recombination. It provides original innovative materials and new germplasm for broadening the genetic basis of wheat and wheat disease resistance and high yield breeding. Wheat– A. cristatum 2P and 6P chromosome addition lines were obtained by the hybridization between common wheat ‘Fukuhokomugi’ and A.cristatum. Through the optimization of irradiation parameters and induction period, we established an efficient induction technology with 17.9% frequency of heterologous translocation. Then more than 100 wheat-A. cristatum 2P and 6P translocation lines were obtained by irradiating wheat-A. cristatum 2P and 6P addition lines. Wheat-A. cristatum 2P addition line is not only highly resistant to powdery mildew but also shows good resistance to leaf rust. Wheat-A. cristatum 6P addition line contained desirable genes conferring high numbers of kernels per spike and shows good resistance to stripe rust. Many translocation lines with different breakpoints of A. cristatum chromosome 2P and 6P were genotyped with P genome-specific STS markers. Then two physical maps of A.cristatum chromosome 2P and 6P were constructed with the specific STS markers. The powdery mildew gene(s) and the novel leaf rust resistance gene(s) from A. cristatum chromosome 2P were located in the chromosomal bin FL 0.66-0.86 of 2PL by molecular markers combined with evaluation of disease resistance of backcross populations of these lines. The resistance gene(s) showed nearly immune to 50 leaf rust races and some powdery mildew races. The major gene locus of high grain number per spike on the long arm of chromosome 6P had been transferred into common wheat. The wheat-A. cristatum 2P and 6P translocation lines are important gene resources for wheat disease resistance and high yield breeding.

publication date

  • July 2019