Biological and economic characteristics of the allotetraploid with genomic formula DDAuAu from the cereal family

Abstract

The synthesis of new allopolyploid cereal genotypes is an important task aimed at involving new genetic resources in breeding programs. Diploid species of the genera Triticum and Aegilops – bread wheat relatives – are an important source of agronomically valuable traits. A tetraploid synthetic with genomic formula DDAuAu was obtained by N.A. Navruzbekov through crossing Aegilops tauschii Coss. and Triticum urartu Thum. ex Gandil. The purpose of this work was to study the chromosomal composition and biological and commercially important traits of the tetraploid. Cytogenetic analysis using fluorescent in situ hybridization showed the presence of all chromosomes of the D genome in the chromosomal complement of the synthetic. By means of stepwise vernalization, the winter habit was established for the tetraploid synthetic with the optimum vernalization requirement of 45 days. Under greenhouse conditions, two groups of genotypes were found whose flowering dates differed by 6.5 days, which may indicate an allelism at the Vrn-3 locus. The coloring of various organs of the tetraploid plant, such as coleoptile, stem, anthers, and glumes of the spike, was revealed. The coloration of the aleurone layer of the grain may indicate that the donor species T. urartu is a carrier of the Ba gene that controls its blue color. A new morphotype of leaf pubescence was found. In terms of productivity, the tetraploid is comparable to bread wheat. Grains are characterized by a supersoft structure and high wet gluten content, from 39–45 to 65 %, in the field and greenhouse conditions, respectively. Thus, the tetraploid can be used to create new wheat genotypes as a source of untapped genetic diversity, as well as a new genetic model for studying the patterns of evolution of polyploid plants.