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.