Seed dormancy is an adaptive mechanism and an important agronomic trait. Temperature during seed development strongly affects seed dormancy in wheat (Triticum aestivum) with lower temperatures producing higher levels of seed dormancy. To identify genes important for seed dormancy, we used a wheat microarray to analyze gene expression in embryos from mature seeds grown at lower and higher temperatures. We found that a wheat homolog of MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1 (MFT) was upregulated after physiological maturity in dormant seeds grown at the lower temperature. In situ hybridization analysis indicated that MFT was exclusively expressed in the scutellum and coleorhiza. Mapping analysis showed that MFT on chromosome 3A (MFT-3A) colocalized with the seed dormancy quantitative trait locus (QTL) QPhs.ocs-3A.1. MFT-3A expression levels in a dormant cultivar used for the detection of the QTL were higher after physiological maturity; this increased expression correlated with a single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region. In a complementation analysis, high levels of MFT expression were correlated with a low germination index in T1 seeds. Furthermore, precocious germination of isolated immature embryos was suppressed by transient introduction of MFT driven by the maize (Zea mays) ubiquitin promoter. Taken together, these results suggest that MFT plays an important role in the regulation of germination in wheat.

The grain color of wheat affects not only the brightness of flour, but also tolerance to preharvest sprouting. Grain color is controlled by dominant R-1 genes located on the long arm of hexaploid wheat chromosomes 3A, 3B, and 3D (R-A1, R-B1, and R-D1, respectively). The red pigment of the grain coat is composed of catechin and proanthocyanidin (PA), which are synthesized via the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. We isolated the Tamyb10-A1, Tamyb10-B1, and Tamyb10-D1 genes, located on chromosomes 3A, 3B, and 3D, respectively. These genes encode R2R3-type MYB domain proteins, similar to TT2 of Arabidopsis, which controls PA synthesis in testa. In recessive R-A1 lines, two types of Tamyb10-A1 genes: (1) deletion of the first half of the R2-repeat of the MYB region and (2) insertion of a 2.2-kb transposon belonging to the hAT family. The Tamyb10-B1 genes of recessive R-B1 lines had 19-bp deletion, which caused a frame shift in the middle part of the open reading frame. With a transient assay using wheat coleoptiles, we revealed that the Tamyb10 gene in the dominant R-1 allele activated the flavonoid biosynthetic genes. We developed PCR-based markers to detect the dominant/recessive alleles of R-A1, R-B1, and R-D1. These markers proved to be correlated to known R-1 genotypes of 33 varieties except for a mutant with a single nucleotide substitution. Furthermore, double-haploid (DH) lines derived from the cross between red- and white-grained lines were found to necessarily carry functional Tamyb10 gene(s). Thus, PCR-based markers for Tamyb10 genes are very useful to detect R-1 alleles.

The dough properties and baking qualities of a novel high‐amylose wheat flour (HAWF) and a waxy wheat flour (WWF) (both Triticum aestivum L.) were investigated by comparing them with common wheat flours. HAWF and WWF had more dietary fiber than Chinese Spring flour (CSF), a nonwaxy wheat flour. Also, HAWF contained larger amounts of lipids and proteins than WWF and CSF. There were significant differences in the amylose and amylopectin contents among all samples tested. Farinograph data showed water absorptions of HAWF and WWF were significantly higher than that of CSF, and both flours showed poorer flour qualities than CSF. The dough of WWF was weaker and less stable than that of CSF, whereas HAWF produced a harder and more viscous dough than CSF. Differential scanning calorimetry data showed that starch in HAWF dough gelatinized at a lower temperature in the baking process than the starches in doughs of WWF and CSF. The starch in a WWF suspension had a larger enthalpy of gelatinization than those in HAWF and CSF suspensions. Amylograph data showed that the WWF starch gelatinized faster and had a higher viscosity than that in CSF. The loaves made from WWF and CSF were significantly larger than the loaves made from HAWF. However, the appearance of bread baked with WWF and HAWF was inferior to the appearance of bread baked with CSF. Bread made with WWF became softer than the bread made with CSF after storage, and reheating was more effective in refreshing WWF bread than CSF bread. Moreover, clear differences in dough and bread samples were revealed by scanning electron microscopy. These differences might have some effect on dough and baking qualities.

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