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.     

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.     

Carbon Isotope Discrimination, Leaf Ash Content and Grain Yield in Bread and Durum Wheat Grown under Full-Irrigated Conditions

Integrative physiological criteria, such as carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) and (mineral) ash content (m_a) have been found to be very useful, under drought conditions, to elucidate the association between yield gains and variation of photosynthesis‐related traits and orientate future breeding efforts. Information on this association is scarce under irrigated conditions. The relationships between Δ, m_a and yield were studied in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) under optimal (drip) irrigation in the arid conditions of north‐west Mexico. Carbon isotope discrimination was analysed on leaves at booting stage and anthesis and on grain at maturity, whereas ash content was measured on the flag leaf at anthesis and maturity. At anthesis, there were differences between bread and durum wheat during grain filling for Δ, but not for m_a. No relationship was found between grain yield and Δ. Leaf ash content at anthesis and maturity showed a broad variability within each species and were associated with grain yield. These results suggest that ash content in leaves could be also used as predictive criteria for yield not only under drought, but also under irrigated conditions, particularly when evaporative demand is high.     

硬粒小麦-长穗偃麦草附加系、代换系和易位系的创制

通过小麦与长穗偃麦草远缘杂交创制附加系、代换系及易位系是小麦遗传改良中利用长穗偃麦草优良基因的重要途径。本研究将长穗偃麦草特异分子标记、染色体计数、基因组原位杂交(GISH)及非变性原位杂交(ND-FISH)等多种方法相结合,对硬粒小麦Langdon (AABB)与小偃麦8801 (AABBEE)的杂交后代群体进行分子细胞学鉴定,创制出硬粒小麦-长穗偃麦草3E、6E染色体双体附加系Du-DA3E和Du-DA6E,硬粒小麦-长穗偃麦草1E (1B)染色体双体代换系Du-DS1E(1B)以及硬粒小麦-长穗偃麦草1AS-1EL染色体易位系Du-T1AS·1EL。创制的4个种质中长穗偃麦草染色体均能稳定遗传,这不仅增加了硬粒小麦-长穗偃麦草附加系和代换系的类型,还为后续利用长穂偃麦草优良基因改良小麦提供了特殊种质资源。     

Glu-D1位点亚基缺失弱筋小麦新种质的创制及其品质分析

辐射诱变是一种重要的变异手段,为了丰富小麦的品质性状变异资源,通过采用60Co-?射线辐射普通小麦品种‘冀3235’幼胚愈伤组织的方法,获得辐射诱变处理的再生植株。对再生株后代种子进行麦谷蛋白亚基的SDS-PAGE分析,结果从中发现了不含Glu-D1位点编码的高分子量麦谷蛋白亚基的材料。经进一步的系谱选择,选育成了稳定遗传的7份材料。与对照‘冀3235’相比,这些株系的农艺性状无明显差异,醇溶蛋白A-PAGE电泳谱带也完全相同,仅在麦谷蛋白SDS-PAGE电泳图谱的Glu-D1位点上有差异（变异系缺少Glu-D1位点控制的亚基,对照‘冀3235’为2+12）。品质分析结果表明,Glu-D1位点缺失系的面粉品质发生了很大变化,其湿面筋没有检出,沉降值显著下降。这些变异系是培育弱筋小麦品种和评价Glu-D1位点功能的珍贵材料。     

Race-specific aspects of partial resistance in wheat to wheat leaf rust,Puccinia recondita f.sp. tritici

Summary Partial resistance (PR) in wheat to wheat leaf rust (Puccinia recondita f.sp. tritici) is characterized by a slow epidemic build-up despite a susceptible infection type. Two greenhouse tests and two field tests, in which 11 spring wheat cultivars were exposed to five wheat leaf rust races, revealed some indication for race-specificity of PR.In the greenhouse, the expression of PR was highly dependent on the environment. Significant cultivar-race interactions in the first experiment were lost in the second experiment probably due to cultivar-environment and cultivar-race-environment interactions.In the polycyclic field tests several factors played a role in explaining the inconsistency of the cultivar-race interactions, such as differences in initial inoculum, genotypic differences in earliness, interplot interference or environmental conditions.One cultivar-race combination showed a significant but small interaction towards susceptibility in both field experiments. The interaction was probably too small to detect in the monocyclic greenhouse tests. The results do not conflict with the idea that a gene-for-gene relationship could exist between PR-genes in the host and genes in the pathogen.Some problems with regard to the selection of PR in wheat to wheat leaf rust are discussed.     

Race-specificity of temperature-sensitive genes for resistance to Puccinia striiformis in Triticum dicoccoides

Summary Twenty-four entries of wild emmer possessing temperature-sensitive genes for resistance to yellow rust were studied in the seedling stage, at two temperature-profiles, with 15 pathogenic races from 11 countries in South America, Africa, Asia and Europe. It was shown that the majority of the resistance genes in these wild emmer entries were race-specific. In most of these entries a more resistant reaction was displayed at the higher temperature-profile; however in three entries a shift in reaction towards resistance was observed with certain races but towards susceptibility with some of the other races, suggesting that two different kinds of temperature-sensitive genes were involved in each of these entries. The similarity of temperature-sensitive genes occurring in wild emmer and in cultivated wheat is discussed.     

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of wheat gliadins: the use of a moving boundary for improved resolution

Summary The process of the separation of gliadin proteins of wheat, using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was studied in detail. It was shown that electrophoresis is a dynamic process during which the pH of the gel changes together with the potassium ion concentration. The most positive effect on the separation of the gliadins was generated by a moving front, which is a boundary between regions with a low concentration of K⁺ ions and a low pH, and region with a high concentration of K⁺ ions and a high pH, after optimization of the concentrations of the cations and anions in the electrode solutions. The finding was exploited for the development of an extremely simple electrophoresis system, in which buffers were not needed for obtaining a high resolution. The system was further improved by applying a stacking gel. The advantages of this system are discussed. This new approach may be useful for improving electrophoresis systems for other applications.     

The drought response of landraces of wheat from the northern Negev Desert in Israel

Summary Diverse landraces of wheat, collected from the semi-arid (150 to 250 mm of total annual rainfall) Northern Negev desert in Israel were considered as a potential genetic resource of drought resistance for wheat breeding. These materials were therefore evaluated for their reponses to drought stress in agronomical and physiological terms. Up to 68 landraces, comprising of Triticum durum, T. aestivum, and T. compactum were tested in two field drought environments, in one favourable field environment, under post-anthesis chemical plant desiccation which revealed the capacity for grain filling from mobilized stem reserves, under a controlled drought stress in a rainout shelter and in the growth chamber under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress. Biomass, grain yield and its components, harvest index, plant phenology, canopy temperatures, kernel weight loss by chemical plant desiccation, growth reduction by PEG-induced drought stress and osmotic adjustment were evaluated in the various experiments.Landraces varied significantly for all parameters of drought response as measured in the different experiments, which was in accordance to their documented large morphological diversity. Variation in grain yield among landraces under an increasing drought stress after tillering was largely affected by spike number per unit area. Kernel weight contributed very little to yield variation among landraces under stress, probably because these tall (average of 131 cm) landraces generally excelled in their capacity to support kernel growth by stem reserve mobilization under stress. Yield under stress was reduced with a longer growth duration of landraces only under early planting but not under late planting. Landraces were generally late flowering but they were still considered well adapted phenologically to their native region where they were always planted late.Landraces differed significantly in canopy temperature under drought stress. Canopy temperature under stress in the rainout shelter was negatively correlated across landraces with grain yield (r=0.67^**) and biomass (r=0.64^**) under stress. Canopy temperature under stress in the rainout shelter was also positively correlated across landraces (r=0.50^**) with canopy temperature in one stress field environment. Osmotic adjustment in PEG-stressed plants was negatively correlated (r=–0.60^**) with percent growth reduction by PEG-induced water stress. It was not correlated with yield under stress in any of the experiments. In terms of yield under stress, canopy temperatures and stem reserve utilization for grain filling, the most drought resistant landrace was the Juljuli population of T.durum.     

Chromosome Locations of Additional Barley Enzyme Loci Identified Using Wheat-Barley Addition Lines

Disomic wheat-barley addition lines carrying a full hexaploid set of chromosomes of the wheat cultivar Chinese Spring, plus a pair of either chromosome 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 7 from the barley cultivar Betzes, were assayed electrophoretically. Comparisons of zymograms of each addition line with the Chinese Spring wheat and Betzes barky parents of the addition lines gave direct (presumptive in the case of chromosome 5) evidence of the chromosomal locations of nine enzyme loci which have been useful genetic markers in studies of the population genetics, ecogeneties and breeding of barley. Previously reported chromosome locations of several loci were confirmed and evidence was presented for the existence and probable chromosome locations for additional enzyme loci.