Wheat is one of the most important grain crops, cultivated on roughly 220 million hectares worldwide. It plays an outstanding role in upkeeping food security. However, wheat domestication and breeding activity have led to a genetic bottleneck, severely limiting its further improvement. On the other hand, wheat-wild relatives represent a wide reservoir of agronomically useful genes that can be introgressed into wheat by chromosome engineering techniques. Species belonging to the wheatgrass (Thinopyrum) genus are related to cultivated wheat and show high genetic variability, which can be successfully used in wheat breeding programs.
The genus comprising a complex of polyploidy series, ranging from diploids to auto and allotetraploids possesses traits of great value, such as enhanced vitality, and a wide range of biotic stress resistance (e.g. leaf- stem- and yellow rust, powdery mildew, fusarium head blight resistance) and abiotic stress tolerance (salinity, drought, heat stress). Novel strategies to generate alien introgressions and the development of genomic tools to promote the selection of desirable traits broaden the introgression breeding potential of exploiting the genetic diversity of wild species.
Thinopyrum species belonging to the tertiary gene pool are distantly related to wheat. Their genomes are non-homologous to those of wheat, and particular molecular cytogenetic techniques are required to assure introgression of compensating chromosome fragments with possible fewest linkage drag. Although gene transfer from distant relatives is more difficult, they may carry new unique genes that enrich the genepool of wheat. To a large extent, the favorable agronomic traits introgressed into cultivated wheat involve pest and disease resistance genes.
While there is a strong emphasis to transfer resistance genes in the future, a wider range of traits are being introduced than in the past, including tolerance to abiotic stress factors, higher yielding potential or grain quality. Production and phenotypic characterization of wheat-Thinopyrum introgression lines, development of molecular markers, genetic mapping of the introgression genotypes are essential for exploiting the potential of the large genetic diversity of wheatgrass species.
Advanced knowledge in genetics of the target traits, increased availability of wild relatives of wheat in gene banks, improved interspecific hybridization techniques and recent molecular technologies may lead to expanding the range of agronomic traits introgressed from wild related species into cultivated wheat.
This Research Topic will put emphasis on all aspects of Thinopyrum introgressions into bread and durum wheat. Manuscripts covering the following topics are welcome:
• Development and phenotypic characterization of agronomically valuable wheat-Thinopyrum introgression lines
• Identification and cloning of novel (resistance) genes originating from Thinopyrum
• Development of fluorescent in situ hybridization probes and molecular markers that facilitate the identification and determination of homology between wheat and Thinopyrum chromosomes
• Establishment of Thinopyrum species’ karyotypes
Original research articles regarding introgressions of a wide range of useful agronomic traits (disease and resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, grain quality) as well as basic research studies are welcome.
Wheat is one of the most important grain crops, cultivated on roughly 220 million hectares worldwide. It plays an outstanding role in upkeeping food security. However, wheat domestication and breeding activity have led to a genetic bottleneck, severely limiting its further improvement. On the other hand, wheat-wild relatives represent a wide reservoir of agronomically useful genes that can be introgressed into wheat by chromosome engineering techniques. Species belonging to the wheatgrass (Thinopyrum) genus are related to cultivated wheat and show high genetic variability, which can be successfully used in wheat breeding programs.
The genus comprising a complex of polyploidy series, ranging from diploids to auto and allotetraploids possesses traits of great value, such as enhanced vitality, and a wide range of biotic stress resistance (e.g. leaf- stem- and yellow rust, powdery mildew, fusarium head blight resistance) and abiotic stress tolerance (salinity, drought, heat stress). Novel strategies to generate alien introgressions and the development of genomic tools to promote the selection of desirable traits broaden the introgression breeding potential of exploiting the genetic diversity of wild species.
Thinopyrum species belonging to the tertiary gene pool are distantly related to wheat. Their genomes are non-homologous to those of wheat, and particular molecular cytogenetic techniques are required to assure introgression of compensating chromosome fragments with possible fewest linkage drag. Although gene transfer from distant relatives is more difficult, they may carry new unique genes that enrich the genepool of wheat. To a large extent, the favorable agronomic traits introgressed into cultivated wheat involve pest and disease resistance genes.
While there is a strong emphasis to transfer resistance genes in the future, a wider range of traits are being introduced than in the past, including tolerance to abiotic stress factors, higher yielding potential or grain quality. Production and phenotypic characterization of wheat-Thinopyrum introgression lines, development of molecular markers, genetic mapping of the introgression genotypes are essential for exploiting the potential of the large genetic diversity of wheatgrass species.
Advanced knowledge in genetics of the target traits, increased availability of wild relatives of wheat in gene banks, improved interspecific hybridization techniques and recent molecular technologies may lead to expanding the range of agronomic traits introgressed from wild related species into cultivated wheat.
This Research Topic will put emphasis on all aspects of Thinopyrum introgressions into bread and durum wheat. Manuscripts covering the following topics are welcome:
• Development and phenotypic characterization of agronomically valuable wheat-Thinopyrum introgression lines
• Identification and cloning of novel (resistance) genes originating from Thinopyrum
• Development of fluorescent in situ hybridization probes and molecular markers that facilitate the identification and determination of homology between wheat and Thinopyrum chromosomes
• Establishment of Thinopyrum species’ karyotypes
Original research articles regarding introgressions of a wide range of useful agronomic traits (disease and resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, grain quality) as well as basic research studies are welcome.
