8th INTERNATIONAL WHEAT CONFERENCE

uSe of TRITICeAe TRIBe SPeCIeS foR exPANdINg ANd
eNRIChINg geNeTIC ReSouRCeS of TRITICum AeSTIVum
L. Khotyleva, L. Koren, O. Orlovskaya
Belarus 220072 Minsk Akademicheskaya st. 27 Institute of Genetics and Cytology of NASB
E-mail Address of presenting author: L.Khotyleva@igc.bas-net.by
Preservation and expansion of plant genetic resources are one of the global problems at present.
This problem becomes particularly urgent in view of the observed tendency to depletion of
genetic variability in a major gene pool of cultivated plants. At the same time natural wild
plant populations contain many important genes, in genetic and economic aspects, which can
be transferred to cultivars of agricultural crops for developing new sources of variability. The
modern strategy of wheat breeding is aimed at improving resistance of cultivars to abiotic and
biotic stresses with maintaining a high productivity level and product quality. For solving this
problem, a gene pool of Triticeae tribe wild relatives determining agronomic traits (resistance
to fungus diseases, pests, salinization, high grain quality) is frequently involved.
The goal of the present research was to develop qualitatively new wheat forms by remote
hybridization in Triticeae tribe.
T. aestivum common cultivars and Triticeae tribe species of different ploidy level (2n=14 - T.
monococcum; 2n=28 - T. dicoccoides k 5199, T. dicoccum, T. persicum k 11899, T. polonicum,
T. durum, T. turgidum; 2n=42 - T. kiharae, T. spelta k 1731, Haynaltricum) were taken as a
research material. According to literature data, fertilization proceeds more successfully in
crossing hexaploid and tetraploid wheats when a multichromosomal species is a pollinator.
Therefore we have used wild species of Triticeae tribe as a maternal form and common
wheat cultivars as a paternal one. Pollination was performed by putting pollinator spikes.
Spelt wheat (T. monococcum), which exhibits high immunity to fungus diseases and the
protein content in its grain reaches 35-37%, is of particular interest among Triticum diploid
species. Tetraploid wheats, thought being of no production interest due to their low
productivity, are valuable source of grain protein content and resistance to various diseases.
The 28-chromosome species Triticum, included by us in investigations, are carriers of
some genes of resistance to rust, mildew, smut, Septoria tritici or exhibit a combined resistance
to pathogens. An advantage, for example, of T. persicum in N.I. Vavilov’s opinion,
is resistance to low temperature, pre-harvest sprouting, combined immunity to diseases
and high protein content in grain. Hexaploid wheat T. spelta with genome composition
homologous to that of common wheat is characterized by an increased protein content in
grain - up 21%. Haynaltricum (spring amphidiploid Haynaldia (Dasipyrum) villosa × T.
dicoccum (ABH)) is a donor of combined resistance to diseases.
Thirty two combinations of remote crosses were carried out and 2116 flowers were pollinated.
Seed settling varied from 1, 39 to 74, 00%. The highest percent of setting was
101