Simultaneous improvement of grain yield and protein content in durum wheat by different phenotypic indices and genomic selection

Simultaneous improvement of protein content and grain yield by index selection is possible but its efficiency largely depends on the weighting of the single traits. The genetic architecture of these indices is similar to that of the primary traits. Grain yield and protein content are of major importance in durum wheat breeding, but their negative correlation has hampered their simultaneous improvement. To account for this in wheat breeding, the grain protein deviation (GPD) and the protein yield were proposed as targets for selection. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential of different indices to simultaneously improve grain yield and protein content in durum wheat and to evaluate their genetic architecture towards genomics-assisted breeding. To this end, we investigated two different durum wheat panels comprising 159 and 189 genotypes, which were tested in multiple field locations across Europe and genotyped by a genotyping-by-sequencing approach. The phenotypic analyses revealed significant genetic variances for all traits and heritabilities of the phenotypic indices that were in a similar range as those of grain yield and protein content. The GPD showed a high and positive correlation with protein content, whereas protein yield was highly and positively correlated with grain yield. Thus, selecting for a high GPD would mainly increase the protein content whereas a selection based on protein yield would mainly improve grain yield, but a combination of both indices allows to balance this selection. The genome-wide association mapping revealed a complex genetic architecture for all traits with most QTL having small effects and being detected only in one germplasm set, thus limiting the potential of marker-assisted selection for trait improvement. By contrast, genome-wide prediction appeared promising but its performance strongly depends on the relatedness between training and prediction sets.

Genetics and cytology of unreduced gametes in cultivated rye (Secale cereale L.)

An inbred genotype of cultivated rye was found that produces unreduced gametes in a very regular fashion. In the cross progeny of this line with another inbred line, which did not show unreduced gametes, the inheritance of this phenomenon was studied. The formation of unreduced gametes appears to be a recessive trait controlled by more than one gene. Chiasma frequency in 4n PMCs is exactly twice that in 2n PMCs. In first metaphase of 4n PMCs only bivalents (no multivalents) were seen. The possible mechanism leading to unreduced gametes and its evolutionary implications are discussed.

Key words: rye, unreduced gametes, polyploidy, genetic control, chiasma frequency.

A separate control for frequency and within-bivalent distribution of chiasmata in rye (Secale cereale L.)

Six genetically different inbred genotypes of spring-type rye Secale cereale with differences in the average number and in the positional distribution of chiasmata were used in this study. The line with the lowest chiasma frequency was chosen as the female parent and crossed with the other five lines. Parental, F1, and F2 data were collected on chiasma number and on chiasma distribution between and within bivalents. Evidence for a polygenic control of both phenomena was found. Chiasma distribution between bivalents within pollen mother cells obviously follows a binomial distribution. This is effected by a mechanism that prevents the formation of a second chiasma on a chromosome arm as long as chromosome arms without chiasma remain; i.e., with 14 chiasmata seven ring bivalents will generally be formed. This mechanism causes a very strong negative correlation between frequency and between-cell variance of chiasmata. The number of chiasmata is independent of their position within the bivalents. A very close correlation between the number of pollen mother cells without univalents and the number of fertile pollen grains was found.

Key words: inbred rye, genetic control, chiasma frequency, chiasma distribution, heterosis.