THE ROLE OF TRITICUM CARTHLICUM IN THE ORIGIN OF BREAD WHEAT BASED ON GLIADIN ELECTROPHOREGRAMS

Abstract

Gliadin electrophoregrams (a genotypic characteristic) of five strains of Triticum carthlicum (2n − 28 = AABB) were compared with those of Tetra Canthatch, the AABB component extracted from Canthatch (2n = 42 = AABBDD) common bread wheat and T. durum cv. Stewart to determine if T. carthlicum could have been the donor of the AABB component of hexaploid wheat. Similar comparisons were made among electrophoregrams of synthetic hexaploids (2n = 42 = AABBDD) produced from T. carthlicum and Aegilops squarrosa (2n = 14 = DD) and Tetra Canthatch and the same strains of Ae. Squarrosa. The five strains of T. carthlicum could be classified into two distinct groups on the basis of the electrophoregrams. One was more like that of Tetra Canthatch than the other. Synthetic hexaploids derived from one of three strains of Ae. squarrosa (strangulata varietal group) investigated, produced electrophoregrams similar to those of the natural hexaploid cultivars. The electrophoregrams of six synthetic hexaploids from three strains of Ae. squarrosa and Tetra Canthatch, and three strains of T. carthlicum did not have any bands not present in the diploid and tetraploid parents. On the basis of the gliadin electrophoregrams of three of the T. carthlicum strains examined and the synthetic hexaploids produced from them, T. carthlicum cannot be excluded as a possible progenitor of the AABB component of common hexaploid wheat.