8th INTERNATIONAL WHEAT CONFERENCE

WheAT geNeTIC ReSouRCeS IN RuSSIA
O.P. Mitrofanova
N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Industry of RAAS (VIR), Bolshaya
Morskaya Str. 44, 190000, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
E-mail Address of presenting author: o.mitrofanova@vir.nw.ru
Wheat genetic resources research in Russia has a long historical tradition that is closely connected
with the development of the VIR wheat collection. The understanding of cultivated
and wild wheats as species systems underlies this research and formation of the collection.
In the 1930s N.I. Vavilov formulated the concept of cultivated plants as Linnean species and
gave the following definition: a Linnean species is a “definite, discrete, dynamic system differentiated
into geographical and ecological types and containing sometimes an enormous
number of varieties” (Vavilov 1931). Collecting wheat resources on the basis of this concept
resulted in the formation of a large-scale wheat collection, very diverse in botanical composition
and geographic origin. Unique and valuable accessions of wild wheats, landraces and
cultivars from around the world are represented into the collection. Introduction of new
material into the wheat collection, conservation, characterization, evaluation and documentation
of accessions continue to be the main objectives of the collection management.
The VIR wheat collection contains more than 14000 landraces referred to as Triticum sp., in
which a significant amount of the diversity is being conserved for future use. A titanic work
on characterization and evaluation of this material with usage of morphological and agronomical
traits has been done and different classifications have been developed (Flyaksberger
1935, Palmova 1935, Vavilov 1935, 1964). But this work failed to give us a deep insight into
genetic nature of landrace differentiation. New possibilities to resolve this problem occurred
due to the introduction of DNA markers into agricultural researches. So the priority task in
wheat research was studying the genetic structure of diversity in the landrace subcollection
through the use of morphological, protein and DNA markers. These researches were carried
out mainly in the framework of international projects.
Genetic differentiation of hexaploid wheats (2n=6x=42, genomic formula AABBDD) using
RAPDs, AFLPs and SSRs was investigated (Strelchenko et al. 2004, 2005; Mitrofanova
et al. 2009). The analyzed set of landraces (each of landraces was represented by one
selected genotype) was formed according to the agroecological classification developed
by N.I. Vavilov (1957, 1964). This classification was based on subdividing the vast territory
of important crops cultivation into different-sized agroecological areas and regions,
each of which was characterized by substantial uniformity of soil and climatic conditions
along with a certain agroecological type of varieties defined as an agroecological
group. The analyzed landraces originated from 44 countries and were referred to 45 agroecological
groups of six wheat species (T. macha Dek. et Men., T. spelta L., T. vavilovii
(Thum.) Jakubz., T. compactum Host, T. sphaerococcum Perc., T. aestivum L.). In addition,
accessions of T. petropavlovskyi Udacz. et Migusch. (according to Dorofeev et al. 1979)
were included into this study. The results of the investigations have demonstrated that
hexaploid wheats differentiated into two large groups of genotypes originated in two dif-
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