The CerealMed research project (Enhancing diversity in Mediterranean cereal farming systems 2020-2023) is aimed implementing a biodiversity-based wheat cropping system in the Mediterranean area. CerealMed includes 11 research partners active in 7 countries around the Mediterranean basin (Italy, Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece), to bring together expertise and innovation in genetics, agronomy, microbiology, and agro-socioeconomics by an integrated approach. In the frame of the CerealMed project, a population of nearly 130 introgression lines (genome of T. dicoccoides MG4343 introgressed into durum wheat PR22D89) has been evaluated during 2020-2021 growing season in a field trial in two locations.

Heading date and plant height were measured for the genotypes as main morpho-phenological traits. The reaction to a natural infection of tan spot caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis was also evaluated. A wide phenotypic variation was found in the segregating population in both locations, with a large number of susceptible lines. Interestingly, in both trials a significant difference for disease severity was observed between the two parents, with a more susceptible reaction in PR22D89 than in MG4343. A set of lines with a resistant phenotype registered consistently in the two locations has been identified as promising lines carrying genes for resistance to tan spot. On one hand, the resistant loci will be mapped in the introgression line population, on the other hand, closely linked molecular markers will be identified for the marker-assisted transfer of these loci in breeding programs.