Elymus repens (L.) Gould (2n = 6x = 42, StStStStHH) is a hexaploid perennial wheatgrass species from the tribe Triticeae, distantly related to bread wheat Triticum aestivum L. (2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD). As a potential source of resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB), E. repens was crossed to common wheat to transfer resistance genes. The progeny were advanced to homozygosity by single seed descent. A total of eight BC(1)F(9) progeny lines were selected and characterized in this study. The chromosome numbers of these derived lines ranged from 42 to 56, including lines with 44, 52, and 54 chromosomes. All of the lines were cytologically stable in terms of meiotic chromosome behavior. The univalent frequency in the lines varied between 0.34 and 2.36 per cell. Similarly, the multivalent frequency did not exceed 1% in any of the lines. GISH analysis revealed that the number of intact wheat chromosomes in the various lines varied between 40 and 44. Numerous translocated chromosomes were detected in all lines. The translocations involved chromosomal segments from wheat, and the St and H genomes of E. repens. Furthermore, trigenomic translocated chromosomes were detected in some of the lines. The introgression into wheat chromosomes included not only terminal types but also interstitial segments. The Fusarium head blight resistance of the eight lines, following point inoculation, varied from 5.65% infected florets to 11.46% compared with the check cultivars T. aestivum 'Roblin' and T. aestivum 'Crocus' at 100% and 85%, respectively.

Thousand-grain weight (TGW) is a very important yield trait of crops. In the present study, we performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of TGW in a doubled haploid population obtained from a cross between the bread wheat cultivar “Superb” and the breeding line “M321” using the wheat 55-k single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping assay. A genetic map containing 15,001 SNP markers spanning 2209.64 cM was constructed, and 9 QTLs were mapped to chromosomes 1A, 2D, 4B, 4D, 5A, 5D, 6A, and 6D based on analyses conducted in six experimental environments during 2015–2017. The effects of the QTLs qTgw.nwipb-4DS and qTgw.nwipb-6AL were shown to be strong and stable in different environments, explaining 15.31–32.43% and 21.34–29.46% of the observed phenotypic variance, and they were mapped within genetic distances of 2.609 cM and 5.256 cM, respectively. These novel QTLs may be used in marker-assisted selection in wheat high-yield breeding.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), leaf rust, and stem rust are the most destructive fungal diseases in current world wheat production. The diploid wheatgrass, Thinopyrum elongatum (Host) Dewey (2n = 2x = 14, EE) is an excellent source of disease resistance genes. Two new Triticum–Secale–Thinopyrum trigeneric hybrids were derived from a cross between a hexaploid triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack, 2n = 6x = 42, AABBRR) and a hexaploid Triticum trititrigia (2n = 6x = 42, AABBEE), were produced and analyzed using genomic in situ hybridization and molecular markers. The results indicated that line RE21 contained 14 A-chromosomes, 14 B-chromosomes, three pairs of R-chromosomes (4R, 6R, and 7R), and four pairs of E-chromosomes (1E, 2E, 3E, and 5E) for a total chromosome number of 2n = 42. Line RE62 contained 14 A-chromosomes, 14 B-chromosomes, six pairs of R-chromosomes, and one pair of translocation chromosomes between chromosome 5R and 5E, for a total chromosome number of 2n = 42. At the seedling and adult growth stages under greenhouse conditions, line RE21 showed high levels of resistance to FHB, leaf rust, and stem rust race Ug99, and line RE62 was highly resistant to leaf rust and stem rust race Ug99. These two lines (RE21 and RE62) display superior disease resistance characteristics and have the potential to be utilized as valuable germplasm sources for future wheat improvement.

Wheatgrass, Thinopyrum elongatum (2n = 2x = 14, EE), is an important wild relative of wheat with many excellent traits, including resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB), that can be used for durum wheat improvement. Through hybridization of the durum cultivar “Langdon” with the amphiploid 8801 (AABBEE), a disomic alien addition line (2n = 30) with a pair of Th. elongatum 7E chromosomes was obtained and confirmed using chromosome-specific molecular markers of Th. elongatum and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). This line is meiotically and reproductively stable, generally forming 15 bivalents at meiosis including 14 pairs from Langdon and 1 from Th. elongatum with 2 chiasmata each as revealed by GISH analysis. At the adult growth stages under field conditions, this addition line shows high resistance to FHB, with less than 16% infection on visual observation in 2 years (2014 and 2015). This addition line is shorter in height and has narrower leaves and shorter spikes as compared to its parent Langdon. So the linkage group 7E might be a further source of wheat improvement by targeted introgression approaches.

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