The Institute of Evolution Wild Cereal Gene Bank at the University of Haifa

Abstract

The Institute of Evolution Wild Cereal Gene Bank (ICGB) at the University of Haifa, Israel, harbors extensive collections of wild emmer wheat (WEW), Triticum dicoccoides, and wild barley (WB), Hordeum spontaneum, the primary progenitors of wheat and barley, respectively. The ICGB also includes minor collections of 10 species of Aegilops, wild oat (Avena barbata), and Brachypodium stacei and B. hybridum (previously distachyon). Here, we describe the WEW and WB collections, explain sampling strategies, and introduce related studies. Natural populations were sampled across Israel along aridity gradients, occurring from north to south and from west to east, and in local microsites with variable (or contrasting) ecological factors. The collection sites varied greatly in terms of climatic (rainfall, temperature and humidity), edaphic (soil types), and topography (altitude, slope) variables. Thus, the ICGB collections represent wild cereals adapted to a wide range of habitats and eco-geographical conditions. We have collected and preserved these unique gene pools since mid-70th, and further used them for theoretical and applied studies in population genetics, evolution, domestication, adaptation to local and regional habitats, and coping mechanisms for a plethora of biotic and abiotic stresses. Our studies revealed that WEW and WB populations from Israel harbor high adaptive genetic diversity that can serve as a reservoir of beneficial alleles to improve important agronomic traits such as disease resistance, drought tolerance and improved grain protein content. These mostly untapped genetic resources could contribute to increasing world food production for the constantly rising human population.

Genotype Heterogeneity in Accessions of a Winter Barley Core Collection Assessed on Postulated Specific Powdery Mildew Resistance Genes

“…In gene banks, the resistance of accessions to pathogens is assessed during their multiplication in the field [34,35]. As has been shown here, most accessions are heterogeneous with different resistance of individual components (genotypes).…”

Elevated mutation and selection in wild emmer wheat in response to 28 years of global warming

“…The wild relative species of domesticated crops harbor abundant and useful genetic diversity (11) and are the best genetic hope for improving genetically impoverished cultivars for human food production (12–17). However, these valuable genetic resources are found to be highly underconserved (18), and concerns for losing these genetic resources are mounting (19).…”

Grain Protein Content QTLs Identified in a Durum × Wild Emmer Wheat Mapping Population Tested in Five Environments

“…This goal can be achieved by exploitation of wild crop relatives in breeding programs and genetic dissection of complex traits in order to upgrade food quality (Longin and Würschum 2016). The rich genepools of WEW (Krugman et al 2018; Klymiuk et al 2019b), emmer wheat T. dicoccum (Fedak 2015), and other wild relatives (Alvarez and Guzman 2018) were shown to be promising sources for genetic improvement of wheat. The detection of chromosomal regions responsible for increasing GPC is the first step towards this goal, followed by subsequent introgression of favorable alleles, cloning of promising genes, and revealing the underlying molecular mechanisms.…”

“…The evolutionary forces that exerted on natural populations of crop wild relative have shaped their genetic structure leading to their superior adaptation to various environments including those with water-limited conditions. Therefore, the exploitation of their rich genetic repertoire has an extensive potential for crop improvement (Henry and Nevo 2014; Krugman et al 2018; Klymiuk et al 2019b). Wild emmer wheat (WEW) ( Triticum turgidum L. subsp.…”