Improving hexaploid spring wheat by introgression of alleles for yield component traits from durum wheat

Abstract

Hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and tetraploid durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) have been cultivated in similar geographic areas for ∼10,000 yr. The crossing barrier caused by ploidy difference suggests that different favorable alleles for yield-related traits may have accumulated in the two crops. Previous work allowed identification of favorable alleles at six quantitative trait loci (QTL) from durum wheat in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population from a cross of 'Mountrail' durum and 'Choteau' spring wheat. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of six durum alleles at yield component QTL in several spring wheat backgrounds. Three spring wheat cultivars were crossed with six hexaploid lines derived from the original Choteau/Mountrail cross to generate RILs. Heterozygous RILs, containing both the durum and the bread wheat alleles, were identified for each of the QTL. The heterozygous RILs were used to develop near-isogenic lines (NILs) for the six introgressed QTL. The NILs were grown in five environments under irrigated and rainfed conditions in Montana in 2017 and 2018. A durum allele QTL on chromosome 3B resulted in increased kernel weight in all five environments. The introgressed durum QTL alleles caused pleiotropic interactions among yield component traits. Environment and genetic background significantly affected the stability of introgressed QTL on yield components for four of the six QTL. Results suggest that alleles from durum may be useful for yield improvement of hexaploid spring wheat. However, interrelationships of yield components, pleiotropic interactions, and environment will affect the value of durum wheat alleles in hexaploid wheat backgrounds.

Impact of yield component alleles from durum wheat on end‐use quality of spring wheat

“…Previous investigation of the four QTL by Jones et al. (2019) confirmed the impact of the durum alleles on yield component traits in hexaploid HRSW backgrounds.…”

“…Jones et al. (2019) also observed an impact of the durum allele on PTN. However, rather than increasing PTN, the durum allele was associated with a significant decrease of 19.8 productive tillers/m relative to the spring wheat allele.…”

“…Jones et al. (2019) confirmed the impact of the durum allele in hexaploid backgrounds on yield component traits for the four QTL. All of the QTL impacted more than one yield component trait.…”

“…Climatological data for the 2018 Bozeman and Kalispell growing environments are summarized in Jones et al. (2019). The present study consisted of two NIL pairs for each QTL and milling and baking quality was assessed across rainfed and irrigated replicated environments.…”

“…Grain used for end‐use quality analysis was harvested from all plots from three of the five environments where agronomic traits were measured and reported in Jones et al. (2019). Traits included kernel protein, kernel hardness, flour yield, flour protein, flour ash, mixing time, mixing tolerance, water absorption, and bake loaf volume.…”