Influence of race and post infection temperature on two components of partial resistance to wheat leaf rust in seedlings of wheat

Summary Components of partial resistance, infection frequency and latency period, were determined in 71 winter and spring wheat genotypes in the seedling stage, after infection with three races of leaf rust (Felix 3B, Clement B and Betuwe 85C) at three different day/night temperature regimes (24/18°C, 18/12°C and 12/6°C). The genotypes were split into two groups and two separate experiments were carried out. Five genotypes, SVP 84039, Akabozu, Banco, BH 1146 and Orso, conferred a low infection frequency and a long latency period and Westphal 12A a long latency period, indicating a relatively high level of partial resistance. The correlation coefficient between infection frequency and latency period was low. Race-specificity was not found. There was a significant temperature effect on the latency period. In the second experiment the temperature x genotype interaction was significant. Temperature-response functions of transformed data demonstrated that the latency periods of four relatively resistant genotypes, Westphal 12A, Banco, BH 1146 and Orso and of Sarno and Mirela were most sensitive to temperature. The range between the genotypes with the longest and the shortest latency period was highest at 12°C. Therefore, low temperature regimes are preferred to distinguish differences in level of partial resistance.     

Study of stomatal parameters for selection of drought resistant varieties in Triticum durum DESF

An analysis was made of the stomatal apparatus of the leaves of five Italian durum wheat varieties, grown under different natural rainfall regimes.Rainfall had a significant influence on both development of the leaves and frequency and size of the stomata. Results were examined with respect to yield stability. Correlations between examined traits were calculated.     

The degree of phenotypic similarity of near-isogenic lines of the wheat cultivar Centana with their recurrent parent

Summary The degree of phenotypic similarity of Centana and its near-isogenic lines (NILs) has been investigated. Some NILs have a disease reaction, a gliadin pattern and a yield level which differs from Centana. This means that they still possess many donor genes. One of the NILs, Shortana, must be a derivative of a backcross line crossed with an unknown genotype resulting in a good yielding variety.     

Detection of repeated genotypes among 93 diploid wheat accessions

Summary An objective procedure was developed to find and eliminate repeated genotypes from a set of crop cultivars or accessions which may be used as parents for future plant breeding programs. Nonhierarchical, nonexclusive, exhaustive cluster analysis was used to group 93 diploid wheat accessions using LSD multiple comparisons of accession means based on data measured on seven characters. Beginning with the rarest accessions, i.e. those represented in the fewest clusters resulting from the clusters analysis, a minimum number of the accessions were chosen to represent the phenotypes of all 93 of the accessions. Two analyses were performed, one using data from an irrigated trial, the other from a dryland trial. The dryland trial data was more discriminating in that it required 71 accessions to represent all of the clusters generated from the original 93 accessions while the irrigated trial data required only 60 of the 93 accessions. In addition to the 71 accessions chosen from the dryland trial analysis, the irrigated trial analysis suggested an additional 12 accessions were phenotypically and, therefore, genotypically unique. The total of 83 unique accessions left 10 phenotypically duplicate accessions to be eliminated from the set of potential parents. Four of the 10 duplicated accessions were rare in that they were represented in very few clusters in either the irrigated trial analysis or in the dryland trial analysis. Because their phenotypes were not unique in spite of being rare, we believe such accessions were duplicated genotypically as well as phenotypically. The other six duplicates were common in that they were represented in a large number of clusters. Such accessions may not prove to be duplicates if grown in additional environments (trials), or if measured on additional characters.     

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.     

Honeycomb selection for yield in early generations of spring wheat

Summary The effectiveness of the honeycomb selection method for yield in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was evaluated using progenies from two wheat crosses, Glenlea x NB131 and Glenlea x Era. Honeycomb selection was carried out in the F₂ and F₃ generations, grown at the University of Manitoba in the summers of 1980 and 1981, respectively. In both generations, divergent selection was made for both high and low yield. Plants selected in the F₃ generation were entered in an F₄ yield test in the summer of 1982. Results of the experiment showed that honeycomb selection for yield in the F₂ and F₃ generations was effective in identifying parents of high- and low-yielding lines. F₃ plants from highyielding F₂ selections gave higher yields than those from low-yielding F₂ selections by 11.5% and 13.0% for Glenlea x NB131 and Glenlea x Era crosses, respectively. The F₄ yield test showed that high yielding selections from both crosses significantly outyielded by 8.9% low yielding selections and by 14.4% the unselected composite lines. It is concluded that the honeycomb selection method can be used for early generation selection in spring wheat.     

A Possible Association Between Heading Time and the GM-A2 Locus in Bread Wheat

A line without expression (null form) o: the α-gliadins controlled by the 6A chromosome was found when screening electrosboretically single seeds of the bread wheat ‘Raeder’. Differences in heading time were also observed between this null line and the normal one. A linkage between 6A gliadin genes and heading time gene(s) is hypothesized.     

The degree of phenotypic resemblance of the near-isogenic lines of the wheat cultivar thatcher with their recurrent parent

Summary Thatcher, 16 of its near-isogenic lines (NIL) and 8 donors were investigated for the degree in which the NILs phenotypically resembled their recurrent parent. In general the NILs have a good phenotypic resemblance. In a few NILs characters occur that are not seen in Thatcher. In some cases these are found in the donor indicating the presence of donor genes other than the marker gene in the NIL. In other cases a character possessed by a NIL is not present in Thatcher or in its donor. In such cases either inhibitor genes may play a part, or the donor accession that accompanies the set of NILs may not be the donor used to breed the NIL. Two causes are possible. One is that the donor was a mixture of genotypes, the other is contamination.The presence of donor genes other than the marker Lr gene(s) in a NIL may lead to unexpected results or, what is worse, to wrong conclusions.     

Additive gene action for resistance to Puccinia striiformis F.SP. Tritici in Triticum dicoccoides

Summary Seven single-plant selections of wild emmer, with temperature-sensitive minor-effect genes for stripe rust resistance, were intercrossed in eight combinations. The resulting progenies were studied for a possible additive gene action.The transgressive segregation towards resistance in F₂ observed in all the combinations indicates that additive gene action for resistance indeed occurs in wild emmer. The common occurrence of this phenomenon in random combinations suggests further that several minor-effect genes are involved.Following selection of the most resistant plants in F₂, a marked shift towards resistance was noted in F₃, which demonstrates a positive response to selection. In some instances, additive resistance selected for (in F₂) at the high temperature-profile was expressed (in F₃) also at the low temperature-profile. This kind of resistance, when utilized in breeding programmes, promises therefore to be effective over a range of temperatures.     

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.