A Rapid Breeding Technology of Wheat

Abstract

Wheat is the most important food crop in the world. In Bangladesh, wheat consumption increased substantially during the last few decades. Currently, 7.3 million tons of wheat is consumed each year, of which 1.3 million tons are grown locally and the rest is imported. Local wheat production must be increased to meet the growing demand and save hard-earned foreign currency. To achieve this, high-yielding varieties, resistant to diseases and insects, and varieties which are suitable for cultivation under salinity, heat and moisture stress conditions are required. Development of such varieties with traditional breeding methods requires 10 to 12 years. However, with doubled haploid technology, a variety can be developed in just 6 years. Using this technology, completely homozygous breeding lines can be produced in just 1 generation, compared to 6–8 generations required by the traditional methods, and thus variety development time is reduced. The University of Sydney, Plant Breeding Institute, established a highly effective doubled haploid production technology in 2002. This technology has been widely used by Australian plant breeding companies for variety development and to study different genetic traits. Between 2010 and 2019, 16 doubled haploid varieties have been developed, which are being popularly grown by the Australian farmers. Molecular markers and doubled haploids are used in combination by some breeding companies to further reduce breeding time. Undesirable plants can be easily identified and removed from the population using these markers. Wheat breeders of Bangladesh may consider using these technologies for rapid development of new varieties to increase wheat production. This chapter provides important information on doubled haploid research at the University of Sydney that is of relevance to Bangladeshi wheat research and production.