Genetic basis of seedling-resistance to leaf rust in bread wheat 'Thatcher'

The bread wheat cultivar ‘Thatcher’ is documented to carry the gene Lr22b for adult‐plant resistance to leaf rust. Seedling‐resistance to leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina in the bread wheat cultivar ‘Thatcher’, the background parent of the near‐isogenic lines for leaf rust resistance genes in wheat, is rare and no published information could be found on its genetic basis. The F₂ and F₃ analysis of the cross ‘Agra Local’ (susceptible) × ‘Thatcher’ showed that an apparently incompletely dominant gene conditioned seedling‐resistance in ‘Thatcher’ to the three ‘Thatcher’‐avirulent Indian leaf rust pathotypes – 0R8, 0R8‐1 and 0R9. Test of allelism revealed that this gene (temporarily designated LrKr1) was derived from ‘Kanred’, one of the parents of ‘Thatcher’. Absence of any susceptible F₂ segregants in a ‘Thatcher’ × ‘Marquis’ cross confirmed that an additional gene (temporarily designated LrMq1) derived from ‘Marquis’, another parent of ‘Thatcher’, was effective against pathotype 0R9 alone. These two genes as well as a second gene in ‘Kanred’ (temporarily designated LrKr2), which was effective against all the three pathotypes, but has not been inherited by ‘Thatcher’, seem to be novel, undocumented leaf rust resistance genes.     

Comparative Field Performance of Tissue Culture-Derived Lines and Breeder Lines of HY320 Spring Wheat

This study examines the performance of somaclonal spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lines developed through culture of somatic embryos. Twenty-nine breeder lines of the spring wheat cv. ‘HY320’ were compared to 51 somaclonal lines of the same cultivar. Somaclonal lines were derived from 27 individual embryos (with up to four lines in each “family”). Somaclonal and breeder lines were evaluated in five field experiments in western Canada. Somaclonal lines were more variable than breeder lines for most agronomic, yield component and quality characters, suggesting that variability among somaclonal lines resulted partly from the tissue culture process. Somaclonal lines yielded, on average, 11 % less than breeder lines. Somaclonal lines had 3.8 % fewer spikelets per spike, 6.5 % fewer kernels per spike and kernels which were 2.7 % lighter. Somaclonal lines had greater test weight, protein concentration, and sedimentation values, and harder kernels.     

General combining ability of six genotypes of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) for biscuit-making quality characteristics

The first South African soft wheat breeding programme was initiated in 19 90 , consequently almost no information is available on soft wheat quality characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine general combining ability (GCA) of several spring wheats for biscuit-making quality characteristics. A full dialled cross was made with five spring wheats with good biscuit-making quality and a sixth hard wheat with poor biscuit-making quality. Seventeen quality characteristics were measured. When the GCA to specific combining ability (SCA) ratios were calculated, strong additive gene action was shown for all characteristics, excluding flour colour and biscuit diameter, which suggested high heritabilities for most characteristics. None of the characteristics showed more non-additive than additive gene action. Three of the soft wheat cultivars combined well for the characteristics important for biscuit-making quality.     

The Influence of Plant Developmental Stage on Expression of Resistance to leaf Rust (Puccinia recondita) in Two Near Isogenic Lines of Wheat

Cultivar ‘Thatcher’, and ‘Thatcher’ lines with Lr 21 and Lr 22 were studied against a number of races of Puccinia recondita for seedling and adult plant reaction. The study has established that Lr 21 and Lr 22 are genes effective against P. recondita at adult plant stage. It has also shown that these genes confer resistance against all races when plants are inoculated at boot leaf stage.     

Influence of high molecular weight glutenin subunit substitution on rheological behaviour and bread-baking quality of near-isogenic lines developed from Chinese wheats

Three near‐isogenic lines (NILs) of wheat involving Glu‐B1 and Glu‐D1 alleles were used to study the genetic contribution of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW‐GS) to gluten strength. The HMW‐GS composition of each NILs was determined by SDS‐PAGE. No significant differences were found in grain protein contents among the NILs. Gluten strength and dough‐mixing properties were measured by the Farinograph, the Extensograph, and SDS‐sedimentation (SDS‐SE). Results indicated that line 2, containing the Glu‐1B 14 + 15 and Glu‐1D 5 + 10 combination of subunits, had higher values for flour quality, dough rheological parameters, and bread‐baking quality when compared with lines 8 and 13. Line 8, containing Glu‐1B 7 + 9 and Glu‐1D 5 + 10, was better than line 13 with the Glu‐1B 14 + 15 and Glu‐1D 10 combination. Some major parameters appeared significantly different. The presence of Glu‐1B 14 + 15 was associated with higher dough strength based on SDS‐SE volume and several rheological parameters when compared with Glu‐1B 7 + 9. Lines with subunit 10 at Glu‐D1 performed significantly worse than those with 5 + 10 in gluten index, SDS‐SE volume, Farinograph stability time, Extensograph area and bread‐baking quality.     

AFLP analysis indicates no introgression of maize DNA in wheat x maize crosses

Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) were used to follow the possible introgression of maize DNA into haploids of wheat as a side‐effect of exploiting wheat x maize hybridization for haploid production. AFLPs were generated with 64 MseI/ EcoRI and 64 MseI/ PstI primer combinations, and the AFLP profiles of haploids were tested against those of maize and of the regular wheat varieties involved in the crosses. On average, 45.1 and 110.7 fragments were produced per assay with the MseI/EcoRI and MseI/PstI combinations, respectively. Different numbers of fragments were produced for wheat and maize: an average of 81 in the haploid, 80 in the wheat parent, and only 67.1 in maize. No evidence was found for introgression of maize into the wheat genome. Three unique AFLP fragments were detected in haploids, which were not present in the parental wheat genotypes. These ‘novel’ AFLP bands in the haploids could be caused by nucleo‐cytoplasmic interaction in the hybrid zygote. Such instability in the wheat genome is defined as temporal, as it was not detected in further generations when colchicine‐doubled progeny of the haploids was tested for the presence of polymorphic fragments.     

Identification of resistance gene analogue markers closely linked to wheat powdery mildew resistance gene Pm31

Specific oligonucleotide primers, designed for the sequences of known plant disease resistance genes, were used to amplify resistance gene analogues (RGAs) from wheat genomic DNA. This method was applied in a bulked segregant analysis to screen for the RGA markers linked to the powdery mildew resistance gene Pm31, introgressed into common wheat from wild emmer. Two RGA markers (RGA200 and RGA390) were found to be closely linked to Pm31 and completely co‐segregating with the marker allele of Xpsp3029 linked to Pm31, with a genetic distance of 0.6 cM. These two RGA markers were then integrated into the formerly established microsatellite map of Pm31 region. The result showed the effectiveness of the RGA approach for developing molecular markers linked to disease resistance genes and demonstrated the efficiency of denaturing polyacrylamide‐gel electrophoresis for detecting polymerase chain reaction polymorphism.     

Assessment of partial resistance to powdery mildew in Chinese wheat varieties

Field trials in two cropping seasons and two locations in central China were conducted on 60 Chinese autumn‐sown wheat varieties to assess their partial resistance to powdery mildew. Mean levels of disease severity ranged from close to 0 to more than 90%. The method of inoculation and the location in which trials were conducted affected the relative performance of the varieties, but these effects were much smaller than the main effect of variety. The area under the disease progress curve was highly correlated with final disease severity, but both were poorly correlated with apparent infection rate. Disease severity was regressed against frequencies of virulence in the Blumeria graminis (syn. Erysiphe graminis) f sp. tritici populations in the trial plots. A vertical distance (D) from the mean mildew severity to the fitted line was calculated for each variety and was used to quantify partial resistance. Five of the 60 varieties, ‘Hx8541’, ‘E28547’, ‘Chuan1066’, ‘Zhe88pin6’ and ‘Lin5064’, consistently expressed relatively low levels of disease despite high frequencies of virulence in the pathogen and had consistently high D‐values. They may therefore have good levels of partial resistance.     

Gene-for-gene relationship for resistance in wheat to isolates of Karnal bunt, Neovossia indica

Reactions to eight isolates of Karnal bunt, Neovossia indica, collected from seven different locations in northern India were studied on 13 host lines, including cultivars and breeding lines of Triticum aestivum, Triticum durum and Triticosecale in all possible combinations. The incidence of Karnal bunt varied from zero in PBW 34 and PBW 248 with isolates Ni8 and Ni2, respectively, to as high as 66.8% in a highly susceptible cultivar WL 711 with isolate Ni5. The differences in disease incidence among cultivars and isolates were highly significant. All the isolates could be distinguished on the basis of differential reactions on one or more of the host lines. Even the most resistant lines of durum (PDW 215), triticale (TL 1210) and wheat (HD 29) could be distinguished by the differential disease reaction with one or more of the eight isolates. The cultivar-isolate interaction for disease score was highly significant, indicating the probable existence of a gene-for-gene relationship in this host-pathogen system.     

A leaf rust resistance gene, different from Lr34, associated with leaf tip necrosis in wheat

The gene Lr34 has contributed to durable resistance to leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina in wheat worldwide. The closely associated leaf tip necrosis is generally used as the gene's marker. Lr34 has been postulated in many Indian bread wheat cultivars including ‘C 306’, based on the associated leaf tip necrosis and a few other field and glasshouse observations. The present study showed monogenic control of adult‐plant resistance in ‘C 306’ to leaf rust pathotype 77‐5 (121R63‐1). The F₂ segregation in the crosses between ‘C 306’ and the two known carriers of Lr34, ‘Line 897’ and ‘Jupateco 73’‘R’ fitted a digenic ratio. The F₃ families derived from the susceptible F₂ segregants were true breeding for susceptibility, proving the absence of Lr34 in ‘C 306’. The cross between ‘Line 897’ and ‘Jupateco 73’‘R’ did not segregate for susceptibility. Resistance in the cross ‘Agra Local’ (susceptible) × ‘C 306’ was associated with leaf tip necrosis, showing that the leaf rust resistance gene in ‘C 306’ was associated with leaf tip necrosis, but was different from Lr34. This gene is being temporarily designated as Lr‘C 306’. Hence, leaf tip necrosis cannot be considered as an exclusive marker for selecting Lr34 in wheat improvement.