Enhancing Wheat β-Glucan Content through Precision Crossbreeding: Development and Evaluation of Biofortified Lines with Improved Nutritional and Agronomic Traits

Upendra Kumar ^1* Sourav Panigrahi ² Rita Goswami ² Yogita Singh ³ Priyanka Balyan ⁴ Prexha Kapoor ² Sundip Kumar ⁵ Krishna Pal Singh ^1,5 Farkhandah Jan ⁶ Reyazul Rouf Mir ⁶

• ¹ M. J. P. Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, India
• ² Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, India
• ³ University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
• ⁴ Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
• ⁵ G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India
• ⁶ Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

To address the urgent demand for biofortified wheat enriched with health-beneficial dietary fibres such as β-glucan, this study employed meticulous crossbreeding between established wheat cultivars and the β-glucan-rich wild relative Aegilops kotschyi accession “AK-3790”. Within this context, a derivative line encompassing a pair of 7U chromosomes from Ae. kotschyi, denoted as 63-2-13 (Tiwari et al. 2010), was identified. The presence of the 7U chromosome in this line was confirmed through comprehensive molecular marker and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) analyses. With the aim of increasing the β-glucan content in hexaploid wheat, two distinct backcross populations were developed utilizing the 63-2-13 line as the donor parent and two separate recurrent parents (WH1105 and HD3086). These populations underwent an exact selection regimen, encompassing parent-like phenotypes, heightened yield, and robust resistance to yellow rust, meticulously tracked across successive generations until the BC2F2:3 stage. Notably, among the outcomes, selected BC2F2:3 progenies presented remarkable increases in β-glucan levels, with a notable increase (BC2F2:3 23--5) resulting in an impressive increase in the 1.76% grain β-glucan content. Despite a discernible reduction in yield compared with their high-yielding counterparts, BC2F2:3 23-5 demonstrated a harmonious trait profile, encompassing heightened β-glucan content and moderate yellow rust resistance, thus positioning it as a compelling candidate for subsequent refinement endeavors. This research notably underscores the substantial potential of precise introgression strategies for increasing the β-glucan content in wheat, thereby underscoring the imperative of adept trait optimization to ensure both yield stability and nutritional enhancement.