Reduction in kernel weight as a potential indirect selection criterion for wheat grain yield under terminal heat stress

Heat is an important abiotic stress during wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain‐filling in South Asia. A study was undertaken to determine effectiveness of selection for reduction in 1000‐kernel weight (TKWR) under heat stress to increase grain yield. Selection was made for low and high TKWR and selected progenies were evaluated in timely and late seeded trials at two locations in Nepal in 2003. One thousand kernel weight (TKW), biomass yield, grain yield, harvest index (HI), grain‐filling duration (GFD) and area under spot blotch progress curve per day (AUDPC/day) were examined. The low and high TKWR groups did not differ significantly for TKW, biomass yield, grain yield, HI, days to heading, GFD and AUDPC/day under timely seeding. However, low TKWR lines showed higher TKW, biomass yield, grain yield, HI, and GFD and lower AUDPC/day than the lines with high TKWR under late seeding. Realized heritability estimates for TKWR ranged from 0.68 to 0.85. The findings show that selection for low TKWR could be used as an indirect selection criterion to identify high grain yielding lines under terminal heat stress.     

Limited but specific variations of seed storage proteins in Japanese common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The electrophoretic banding patterns ofgliadin in common wheat lines derived fromJapan were determined byacid-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. For the 107 wheat lines used in our study,27 different patterns were identified, 13corresponding to the -gliadin, 8 tothe , -gliadin and 6 to the-gliadin. The gliadin patterns ofJapanese wheat cultivars and landracesgreatly differed from the patterns of wheatlines from other countries, and thevariation seen in wheat lines from Japanwas limited to 46 patterns. Sevencollection or breeding areas in Japanshowed different frequencies in theirgliadin patterns. Combining the gliadinpatterns with high molecular weightglutenin subunit compositions, 67combinations were observed. One gliadinpattern consisting of -gliadinpattern F, , -gliadinpattern H and -gliadin pattern Dwas frequently found in many Japanese wheatlines, though the other patterns werelimited to only one or two wheat lines.     

Development of dominant nuclear male-sterile lines with a blue seed marker in durum and common wheat

In order to develop genie male‐sterile lines with a blue seed marker, male‐sterile plants, controlled by a dominant nuclear gene Ms2, were used as female parents against a 4E disomic addition line ‘Xiaoyan Lanli’(2n= 44, AABBDD+4EII) as the male parent to produce monosomic addition lines with blue seed. Male‐sterile plants from the monosomic addition lines were pollinated with durum wheat for several generations and in 1989 a male‐sterile line with the blue grain gene and the male‐sterile gene Ms2 on the same additional chromosome was detected and named line 89‐2343. Using this line, the blue seed marker was successfully added to a short male‐sterile line containing Ms2 and Rht10. The segregation ratios of male sterility and seed colour as well as the chromosome figurations of different plants indicated that the blue grain genes, Ms2 and Rht10 were located on the same additional chromosome. Cytological analysis showed that the blue marker male‐sterile lines in durum wheat and common wheat were monosomic with an additional chromosome 4E. The inheritance ratio for blue seed male‐sterile plants and white seed male‐fertile plants was 19.7% and 80.3%, respectively, in common wheat. The potential for using blue marker sterile lines in population improvement and hybrid production is discussed.     

Bread-making quality and yield performance of 1BL/1RS wheat isogenic lines

Isogenic lines were developed in order to assess the precise effects of the 1BL/1RS translocation on quality characteristics and agronomic traits. Results showed that the translocation has a detrimental effect on sodium dodecyl sulphate sedimentation volume, in any background. Yield was similar between translocated and non-translocated lines; however, lines carrying lBL/1RS showed a significant increase in grain weight, together with a decrease in spike number per plant.     

Effect of two-week heat stress during grain filling on stem reserves,senescence, and grain yield of European winter wheat cultivars

To examine the extent to which heat stress during grain filling impacts on the development and yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a 3-year field experiment was conducted on a loess soil with high water holding capacity in the North German Plain. Thirty-two mostly European winter wheat cultivars were exposed to heat stress in a mobile foil tunnel with maximum air temperatures of 45.7, 45.4, and 47.2°C in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. The 14-day post-anthesis heat stress treatment caused an average 57.3% grain yield reduction compared to a close-by non-stressed control. The proportion of green crop area after the heat stress phase varied from 7% to 98% in 2016 and from 37% to 94% in 2017. The green crop area percentage did not significantly correlate with grain yield, indicating that the delayed senescence of stay-green phenotypes offers no yield advantage under terminal heat stress. The water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration of the stems at crop maturity varied between 6 and 92 g/kg dry matter, showing that the genotypes differed in their efficiency at using the stem carbohydrate reserves for grain filling under heat stress. The stem WSC concentration correlated positively with the beginning of anthesis (r = 0.704; p < .001) but negatively with the grain yield (r = −0.431; p < .05). For heat tolerance breeding, the stem reserve strategy, i. e. the rapid and full exhaustion of the temporary carbohydrate storage therefore seems more promising than the stay-green strategy.     

Structuring genotype × environment interaction for quality traits in bread wheat, in two multi-location series of trials

Structure of genotype × environment interaction was studied in two series of trials for three quality traits in bread wheat. Two kinds of environments were present in each series of trials: macro-environments defined as locations or location × year combinations and micro-environments induced by diversified cultural practices within each site. For each trait, a simultaneous clustering procedure was used to identify groups of environments which were homogeneous for interaction. An optimised series of trials was proposed from the clusters obtained. The cultural practice based on nitrogen fertilisation seemed to better diversify environments for interaction than use of fungicide, when all quality traits were considered. Determining an optimised series of trials simultaneously for the three traits led to keeping more environments than when one trait was considered. Suggestions for establishing a series of trials for a multi-trait analysis were proposed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Exogenous application of allelopathic water extracts helps improving tolerance against terminal heat and drought stresses in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Em. Thell.)

The allelopathic water extracts (AWEs) may help improve the tolerance of crop plants against abiotic stresses owing to the presence of the secondary metabolites (i.e., allelochemicals). We conducted four independent experiments to evaluate the influence of exogenous application of AWEs (applied through seed priming or foliage spray) in improving the terminal heat and drought tolerance in bread wheat. In all the experiments, two wheat cultivars, viz. Mairaj‐2008 (drought and heat tolerant) and Faisalabad‐2008 (drought and heat sensitive), were raised in pots. Both wheat cultivars were raised under ambient conditions in the wire house till leaf boot stage (booting) by maintaining the pots at 75% water‐holding capacity (WHC). Then, managed drought and heat stresses were imposed by maintaining the pots at 35% WHC, or shifting the pots inside the glass canopies (at 75% WHC), at booting, anthesis and the grain filling stages. Drought stress reduced the grain yield of wheat by 39%–49%. Foliar application of AWEs improved the grain yield of wheat by 26%–31%, while seed priming with AWEs improved the grain yield by 18%–26%, respectively, than drought stress. Terminal heat stress reduced the grain yield of wheat by 38%. Seed priming with AWEs improved the grain yield by 21%–27%; while foliar application of AWEs improved the grain yield by 25%–29% than the heat stress treatment. In conclusion, the exogenous application of AWEs improved the stay green, accumulation of proline, soluble phenolics and glycine betaine, which helped to stabilize the biological membranes and improved the tolerance against terminal drought and heat stresses.     

Comparison of stability statistics for yield and quality traits in bread wheat

The stability and genotypic mean of four traits, grain yield, grain protein content, alveograph W and bread volume, were evaluated in three multi-location trials, each covering two years. The stability of each genotype was evaluated by environmental variance (s² _E), interaction variance (s² _W) and variance of the ranks of the phenotypic values corrected for the genotypic effect (s² _R). The bootstrap method was used to study correlations between the genotypic mean and the three stability statistics and to calculate their accuracy. The repeatability of the stability statistics was measured by correlations between the values obtained in each of the two years. In addition, theoretical smaller trials were generated by random sampling and the stability values calculated were correlated with those of the original trial. Environmental variance appears to be usable both for yield and for quality traits, but there is a risk of counter-selecting a high genotypic mean of W. Whatever the trait and statistic envisaged, stability is poorly repeatable and its evaluation requires several years and a large number of locations per year to minimise sampling and environmental effects. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Relationship between electrophoretic pattern of storage proteins and gluten strength in durum wheat landraces from Turkey

A collection of 180 Triticum durum lines from Turkey and 22 Italian cultivars were investigated by electrophoretic techniques and evaluated for grain parameters such as protein content and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-sedimentation test. A total of 14 different patterns were observed for high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenin subunits resulting from the combination of three alleles from the A genome and seven from the B genome. Three new allelic variants, one at Glu-A1 and two at Glu-B1, were found. Five different alleles were detected at the Glu-B1 locus. Genotypes with the same allelic variant at Gli-B1 showed inconsistency of composition in B group of low-molecular-weight (LMW) glutenin subunits. A total of 11 different B-subunit patterns were identified in the material analysed. A substantial proportion (78%) of the variation in gluten properties could be explained in terms of protein composition, with the LMW glutenin subunits making the largest contribution (54%). Results indicate that, in addition to Glu-B3 encoded proteins, variation at other loci coding for some intermediate and fastest B subunits might also influence rheological properties.     

Genetic analysis of glume colour in common wheat cultivars from the former USSR

Genotypes for the glume colour character have been studied in 27 cultivars of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) originated from old landraces, and 1 specimen of T. petropavlovskyi Udacz. et Migusch. by means of analysis of the F₂ populations. The following tester lines have been used: white-glumed ‘Novosibirskaya 67’ ‘Diamant I’, and ‘Federation’, carrying the Rg1 gene alone; lines RL5405 and near-isogenic ‘Saratovskaya 29’ *5 (T. timopheevii Zhuk./T. tauschii (Coss.) Schmal.), carrying Rg2; line (1A ‘CS’ × ‘Strela’) with Rg3. The red glume colour in 21 cultivars of Triticum aestivum and in the accession of T. petropavlovskyi has been shown to be determined by the single gene Rg1, located on chromosome 1B. Five cultivars carrying the gene Rg3 for red glumes on chromosome 1A have been revealed. The cultivars ‘Zhnitsa’ and ‘Iskra’ carry the gene Rg3 alone. The red glume colour in the cultivars ‘Milturum 321’, ‘Milturum 2078’, ‘Sredneural'skaya’ is controlled by two genes, Rg1 and Rg3. In two common wheat cultivars, ‘Sarrubra’ and ‘Krasnoyarskaya 1103’ the red glume colour is determined by Rg1, inherited from local populations (‘Turka’ and ‘Kubanka’ respectively) of tetraploid wheat T. durum Desf. var. hordeiforme Host. Wide occurrence of the Rg1 gene in common wheat has been confirmed. On the contrary, none of the investigated varieties carries the gene Rg2. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Introduction to bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and assessment for bread-making quality of alleles from T. boeoticum Boiss. ssp. thaoudar at Glu-A1 encoding two high-molecular-weight subunits of glutenin

Two alleles, Glu-A1r encoding high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenin subunits 39+40 and Glu-A1s encoding HMW glutenin subunits 41+42, were introgressed to bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Sicco from two accessions of T. boeoticum Boiss. ssp. thaoudar (A genome species, 2n=2x=14). Alleles at Glu-A1 in current commercial bread wheats encode zero or one subunit, and alleles at the homoeoloci Glu-B1 and Glu-D1 encode a maximum of two subunits; hence the maximum number of subunits found in commercial wheats is five, whereas the lines incorporating Glu-A1r and Glu-A1s carry six. Using near-isogenic lines, the current results demonstrated that the introduction of Glu-A1r resulted in diminished dough stickiness and improved stability during mixing compared with Glu-A1a encoding subunit 1, and a small improvement in gluten strength as shown by the SDS- sedimentation test. The introduction of Glu-A1a also resulted in a small improvement in gluten strength predicted by the SDS-sedimentation test. Thus the alleles are of potential value in breeding programmes designed to improve bread-making quality.     

Chromosome location of genes affecting polyphenol oxidase activity in seeds of common and durum wheat

This study used cytogenetic stocks to investigate the chromosomal location of genes responsible for polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity in common and durum wheat seeds. Substitution lines of chromosome 2A of hexaploid varieties ‘Cheyenne’, ‘Thatcher’ and ‘Timstein’ in ‘Chinese Spring’ showed significantly higher PPO activity than all other substitution lines of the same variety, with the exception of substitutions of ‘Cheyenne’ chromosome 3A and ‘Thatcher’ chromosome 4B. Substitution lines of chromosome 2A of Triticum turgidum var. dicoccoides and of chromosome 2D of ‘Chinese Spring’ into the tetraploid variety ‘Langdon’ showed a significant increase in PPO activity relative to all other substitution lines in Langdon. The gene(s) responsible for high PPO activity in chromosome 2D from ‘Chinese Spring’ was mapped on the long arm within a deletion that represents 24% of the distal part of the arm. This study shows that genes located in homoeologous group 2 play a major role in the activity of PPO in wheat.     

Effects on nutrients and on grain quality in spring wheat crops grown under elevated CO2 concentrations and stress conditions in the European, multiple-site experiment ‘ESPACE-wheat’

Nutrient element concentrations and grain quality were assessed in spring wheat grown under elevated CO₂ concentrations and contrasting levels of tropospheric ozone at different nitrogen supply rates at several European sites. Carbon dioxide enrichment proved to affect nutrient concentrations in a complex manner. In green leaves, all elements (with exception of phosphorus and iron) decreased. In contrast, effects on the element composition of grains were restricted to reductions in nitrogen, calcium, sulphur and iron. Ozone exposure resulted in no significant effects on nutrient element concentrations in different tissues in the overall analysis. The nitrogen demand of green tissues was reduced due to CO₂ enrichment as shown by reductions in the critical leaf nitrogen concentration and also enhanced nitrogen use efficiency. Reductions in the content of ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and repression of the photorespiratory pathway and reduced nitrogen allocation to enzymes driving the photosynthetic carbon oxidation cycle were chiefly responsible for this effect. Thus, nitrogen acquisition by the crop did not match carbon acquisition under CO₂ enrichment. Since crop nitrogen uptake from the soil was already completed at anthesis, nitrogen allocated to the grain after anthesis originated from vegetative pools—causing grain nitrogen concentrations to decrease under CO₂ enrichment (on average by 15% when CO₂ concentrations increased from 360 to 680 μmol mol⁻¹). Correspondingly, grain quality was reduced by CO₂ enrichment. The Zeleny value, Hagberg value and dry/wet gluten content decreased significantly with increasing [CO₂]. Despite the beneficial impact of CO₂ enrichment on growth and yield of C₃ cereal crops, declines in flour quality due to reduced nitrogen content are likely in a future, [CO₂]-rich world.     

Cumulative and interaction effects of prolamin allelic variation and of 1BL/1RS translocation on flour quality in bread wheat

The allelic variation of prolamin loci was studied in three F₂ progenies from three crosses between the 1BL/1RS cultivar Triana and Yécora Rojo, Pavón and Florence Aurora, cultivars without the translocation. According to the 1:2:1 theoretical proportions observed in the allelic variants of the Glu-B3/Gli-B1 loci of the parent without the translocation, the inheritance as a block of the rye chromosome arm was confirmed. A group of F₃-F₄ recombinant lines, developed from these crosses was evaluated using the SDS-sedimentation test and the mixograph and alveograph tests. The presence of the 1BL/1RS translocation was not associated with significantly lower grain protein content values or with the optimum mixing time in the mixograph of the genotypes. The effect of the 1BL/1RS translocation on most of the quality parameters was highly dependent on the genetic pool. Significant increases in gluten strength and better mixing properties associated with the presence of some alleles of the Glu-A1, Glu-A3/ Gli-A1 and Gli-D2 loci were detected. The additivity and the interaction of prolamin gene effects with the rye translocation in the 1BL/1RS lines and its possible use in plant breeding are discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

铝毒胁迫下甘蓝型油菜种子萌发期相关性状的QTL定位

随着土壤酸化的日益加重,铝毒已成为影响作物种子萌发质量以及作物产量的重要胁迫因子之一。作物耐铝相关性状的QTL定位和候选基因筛选已有许多报道,但铝胁迫下甘蓝型油菜萌发期相关性状的QTL定位报道较少。本文以80μg mL?1的铝胁迫浓度处理重组自交系(10D130×中双11号)群体进行种子萌发试验,处理3 d时调查发芽势, 7 d时调查发芽率,测定其根长、芽长和干重,并计算各性状相对值。基于6K SNP芯片,结合高密度遗传连锁图谱对油菜萌发期的5个性状进行QTL定位,共检测到23个QTL。其中与相对发芽势、相对发芽率、相对根长、相对芽长和相对干重相关的QTL分别有9个、1个、4个、5个和4个,覆盖了A、C基因组, LOD值介于3.00～5.26,可解释的表型变异为7.70%～13.10%。根据各QTL置信区间序列筛选,与铝胁迫相关的候选基因共30个。ALMT1基因和MATE基因与有机酸的合成和分泌有关,主要通过苹果酸、柠檬酸和草酸等有机酸的分泌来增强植物的耐铝性;STOP1基因、NAC基因和RAP2.4基因均属于转录激活因子,通过诱导耐铝基因的表达增强植株的抗性; ABC转运蛋白、膜蛋白...     

The effect of indirect tests for grain quality on the grain yield and industrial quality of bread wheat

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of selection using three indirect tests for grain quality on grain yield and dough, and baking properties, measured as alveograph strength, alveograph tenacity/extensibility ratio and loaf volume. The three tests were flour protein content, flour sedimentation and high molecular weight glutenin subunits. Of the indirect tests used for grain quality, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)‐sedimentation allowed the highest intensity of selection for a combined trait index of the target grain quality and grain yield characteristics. The top 48% of the material could be retained on the basis of SDS‐sedimentation, resulting in retention of atleast two‐thirds of the top 10% of genotypes for the combined trait index. Flour protein percentage, a weighted high molecular weight glutenin index and an index combining all the indirect tests—flour protein, SDS‐sedimentation and high molecular weight glutenins—gave selection intensities of 61%, 64% and 55%, respectively, for the combined trait index. If the objective of selection is dough strength alone, then a weighted index of all indirect traits (flour protein, SDS‐sedimentation and high molecular weight glutenins) provided the highest selection intensity (26%). Other selection intensities for individual target traits were 24% for the prediction of loaf volume from flour protein, 40% for the prediction of tenacity/ extensibility ratio using SDS‐sedimentation and 68% for the prediction of grain yield using SDS‐sedimentation.     

外源ABA对干旱胁迫下不同品种灌浆期小麦psbA基因表达的影响

脱落酸(abscisic acid, ABA)是一种重要的植物激素,与作物的抗干旱胁迫密切相关。本试验以灌浆期的豫麦949和陕麦5号小麦品种为试材,PEG干旱处理72 h后,比较了脱落酸对小麦相对水分含量、叶绿素、丙二醛含量以及产量的影响,并采用反转录半定量PCR方法测定PSII中psbA基因转录水平的变化。结果表明,干旱胁迫明显降低小麦叶片中相对水分和叶绿素含量,增加丙二醛含量,抑制psbA基因的转录,降低小麦的产量,而外源脱落酸能明显缓解这些胁迫反应。与豫麦949相比,陕麦5号中质膜损伤较小,相对水分和叶绿素含量、产量以及psbA基因转录水平的下降也较小,外源脱落酸处理后,各参数也能够恢复到对照水平,说明不同小麦品种的抗干旱胁迫能力与psbA基因的表达水平密切相关。本试验的研究结果也首次发现了外源ABA能够调控干旱胁迫下灌浆期小麦psbA基因的表达,稳定PSII系统中重要基因的转录水平,从而提高灌浆期小麦的抗干旱胁迫能力。     

Introgression of Dasypyrum villosum chromatin into common wheat improves grain protein quality

Dasypyrum villosum (L.) Candargy (DV) is adiploid (2n = 14, VV genomes), allogamous grass of theMediterranean region. It may be hybridized with wheatand is thus a gene resource for wheat improvement. Westudied grain protein concentration andSDS-sedimentation (SED) as indicators of end-usequality. The latter is a good predictor of glutenstrength. A-PAGE and SDS-PAGE were used to identifymonomeric and polymeric seed storage proteins,respectively, to relate proteins of DV to those foundin Chinese Spring (CS), Triticum aestivum L.,wheat. Two full-sib lines of DV had high grain protein(19.3 and 20.3%), but one had very low mean SED (69mm) and one had very high (118 mm) based on onegreenhouse and one field test. CS had very low grainprotein (12.0%) and weak gluten (33 mm). Single-DVchromosome addition and substitution lines and twoDV-wheat recombinant lines all had higher grainprotein than CS (range 13.9 to 16.7%). SED valuesshowed a different pattern. CS=4V and CS=6V hadlow SED, 63 and 44 mm, similar to CS, whereas CS=1Vand full sib DV 200 had very strong gluten, 118 mm, asdid substitution lines CS1V (1A) and CS1V (1B), 125and 131 mm, respectively. One hybrid-derived line withDV-wheat 1V recombinant chromosome had SED of 99 mmand one line with a 6V added chromosome had SED of 64mm. The large positive effects of quality in the wheathaving DV chromosome 1V are believed to be due to DValleles at the Glu-V1 and Gli-V1/Glu-V3loci. DV chromosomes 4V and 6V did not contribute toimproved quality probably due to Gli-V2 and Gli-V3 which, as the orthologous loci in wheat, donot enhance wheat quality. Based on the positiveeffects of alleles on DV chromosome 1V in a breadwheat background, we conclude that D. villosumis a source of allelic diversity that can beconsidered for improving end-use quality in breadwheat.     

Morpho-physiological traits to complement grain yield selection under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions in each of the durum wheat types mediterraneum typicum and syriacum

Summary Some 238 landraces from Algeria and Tunisia representative of the mediterraneum typicum durum wheat type and 265 landraces from Syria and Jordan representing the syriacum type were grown in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment of Northern Syria characterized by moderate drought stress. The germplasm types were compared for mean value, level of variation and relationships with grain yield of various morpho-physiological traits possibly usable for indirect selection of best yielding materials. The syriacum germplasm showed higher yield mainly due to greater earliness of cycle, slightly longer grain filling period, shorter stature, lower early growth vigour and higher drought tolerance expressed by a visual score recorded in another, more stressful environment in the region. It also showed lower variation for all morpho-physiological characters except plant glaucousness, for which it was more variable. The wheat types differed not only for architecture but also for optima of individual morpho-physiological traits required to maximize the yield response in the given environment. Higher yield of syriacum materials was attained at same heading and three to four days delayed maturity with respect to average phenology of three well-adapted control cultivars, and it was favoured by increasing number of kernels per spike, early vigour and drought tolerance. Higher yield of mediterraneum typicum landraces was related to heading and maturity dates approaching those of the control cultivars and to increasing kernel weight, early vigour and drought tolerance. Plant stature hardly affected the yield. Both absent and strong glaucousness could confer a yield advantage in syriacum materials.     

Genetic response to index selection for grain yield, kernel weight and per cent protein in four wheat crosses

Quantitative genetic theory was used to investigate selection differentials, expected and observed direct and correlated responses to simultaneous improvement of grain yield, kernel weight, and grain protein content in F₃ and F₄ populations of four spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crosses. Selection in the F₃ generation based on the Smith-Hazel index (SH) and yield was found to be superior to the other methods studied in identifying high-yielding lines, but resulted in substantial decrease in grain protein level. Consequently, a 1.0% increase in protein from selection for protein depressed grain yield as much as 536 kg/ha below the population mean, reducing the expected yield gains per generation selection cycle by 250%. The weight-free indices (EW), particularly the index involving only yield and kernel weight (EW3) and its linear approximation (EW4), and the desired gains indices were effective in improving protein content but were less efficient in selecting top-yielding lines. Selection in the opposite direction using truncation of the lowest 10% of the population based on weight-free-index involving yield, kernel weight and protein (EW2) reduced all traits significantly compared with the mean of the unselected population indicating the effectiveness of the unweighted selection index. The observed genetic gains (Ra) from selection based on yield, the SH, EW3 and EW4 indices were slightly lower than the expected advances per cycle (R) in populations from crosses ‘Sinton’בGlenlea’ (C1), ‘Glenlea’בNB505’ (C2), and ‘A2P5’בNB320’ (C6) (Ra/R = 70 to 85%) but were higher in cross ‘NB505’בA2P5’ (C5) (Ra/R = 126 to 143%). It was concluded that weight-free and the desired gains indices can be used to improve wheat grain yield and grain protein simultaneously in F₃ generation selection, as revealed by response to selection measured in the F₄ generation.