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Screening for grain dormancy in segregating generations of dormant × non-dormant crosses in white-grained wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

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Abstract

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a significant problem. Introgression of genes controlling grain dormancy into white-grained bread wheat is one means of improving resistance to PHS. In this study seven dormant (containing the SW95-50213 and AUS1408 sources) × non-dormant crosses were produced to investigate the effectiveness of selection for grain dormancy in early segregating generations. Each generation (F1–F4) was grown in a temperature controlled glasshouse with an extended photoperiod (i.e. continuous light). F2 and F3 generations were subject to selection. Five hundred harvest-ripe grains were tested for germination over a 14 day period, and the 100 most dormant grains were retained and grown-on to produce the next generation within each cross. The response to selection was assessed through analysis of the time to 50% germination (G50) in the F2, F3 and F4 generations. In addition, changes in marker class frequencies for two SSR markers (barc170 and gpw2279) flanking a known quantitative trait locus (QTL) for grain dormancy on chromosome 4A were assessed in DNA from F2 plants selected from early germinating (non-dormant) and late germinating (dormant) phenotypic extremes within each cross. Selection for grain dormancy in the F2 and F3 generations effectively recovered the dormant phenotype in all seven crosses, i.e. the F4 generation was not significantly different from the dormant parent. Further, selection based on individual F2 grains changed marker class frequencies for the 4A dormancy QTL; in most cases eliminating the marker class homozygous for the non-dormant alleles. Application of this screening method will enable breeders to better select for grain dormancy and may lead to development of new cultivars offering effective resistance to PHS in the near future.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation of Australia through an honours scholarship, and represents outcomes of a collaborative project between the University of Queensland and the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries. The authors also wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance of Professor Stephen Adkins for use of his laboratory and equipment, Dr. Christopher Lambrides for detailed comments on early drafts of this manuscript, and support provided by the glasshouse managers at the St. Lucia campus of the University of Queensland, particularly Winston Bean and Lawrie Stephenson.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Lee T. Hickey, Mark J. Dieters, Ian H. DeLacy & Olena Y. Kravchuk

  2. Leslie Research Centre, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350, Australia

    Mandy J. Christopher & Phillip M. Banks

Authors
  1. Lee T. Hickey
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  2. Mark J. Dieters
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  3. Ian H. DeLacy
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  4. Mandy J. Christopher
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  5. Olena Y. Kravchuk
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  6. Phillip M. Banks
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Correspondence to Lee T. Hickey.

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Hickey, L.T., Dieters, M.J., DeLacy, I.H. et al. Screening for grain dormancy in segregating generations of dormant × non-dormant crosses in white-grained wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Euphytica 172, 183–195 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-009-0028-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-009-0028-z

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