Hybrid necrosis genes in aboriginal wheats of Middle Asia in the light of the problem of the primary centers of biodiversity of the Triticum L. genus

Abstract

The distribution of hybrid necrosis genes in aboriginal wheats of Middle Asia (Tadzhikistan, Kyrghyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan) was studied. Necrotic genotypes were identified in 154 samples including 147 samples of Triticum aestivum, six samples of T. compactum, and one T. antiquorum sample. The absence of the Ne2 gene in this region was shown. About 43.5% of the samples examined were of the Ne1ne2 genotype, while 56.5% of samples had the genotype ne1ne2. The frequency of the Ne1 gene in T. aestivum from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan was higher than in Tadzhikistan and Kyrghyzstan (v 2 = 13.9; d.f. = 1). The height above sea level had no impact on Ne1 frequencies in cultivated wheats. No correlation between the frequencies of Ne1 and lg genes was revealed. It was suggested that the Middle Asia is a secondary route of wheat distribution from its primary center of origin.