Abstract
Simple SummaryProductivity of wheat can be enhanced using salt-tolerant genotypes. However, the assessment of salt tolerance potential in wheat through agro-physiological traits and stress-related gene expression analysis could potentially minimize the cost of breeding programs and be a powerful way for the selection of the most salt-tolerant genotype. The study evaluated the salt tolerance potential of four doubled haploid lines of wheat and compared them with the check cultivar Sakha-93 using an extensive set of agro-physiologic parameters and salt-stress-related gene expressions. The results indicated that the five genotypes tested displayed reduction in all traits evaluated except the canopy temperature and electrical conductivity, which had the greatest decline occurring in the check cultivar and the least decline in DHL2. The genotypes DHL21 and DHL5 exhibited increased expression rate of salt-stress-related genes under salt stress conditions. The multiple linear regression model and path coefficient analysis showed a coefficient of determination of 0.93. Concluding, the number of spikelets, and/or number of kernels were identified to be unbiased traits for assessing wheat DHLs under salinity conditions, given their contribution and direct impact on the grain yield. Moreover, the two most salt-tolerant genotypes DHL2 and DHL21 can be useful as genetic resources for future breeding programs.Salinity majorly hinders horizontal and vertical expansion in worldwide wheat production. Productivity can be enhanced using salt-tolerant wheat genotypes. However, the assessment of salt tolerance potential in bread wheat doubled haploid lines (DHL) through agro-physiological traits and stress-related gene expression analysis could potentially minimize the cost of breeding programs and be a powerful way for the selection of the most salt-tolerant genotype. We used an extensive set of agro-physiologic parameters and salt-stress-related gene expressions. Multivariate analysis was used to detect phenotypic and genetic variations of wheat genotypes more closely under salinity stress, and we analyzed how these strategies effectively balance each other. Four doubled haploid lines (DHLs) and the check cultivar (Sakha93) were evaluated in two salinity levels (without and 150 mM NaCl) until harvest. The five genotypes showed reduced growth under 150 mM NaCl; however, the check cultivar (Sakha93) died at the beginning of the flowering stage. Salt stress induced reduction traits, except the canopy temperature and initial electrical conductivity, which was found in each of the five genotypes, with the greatest decline occurring in the check cultivar (Sakha-93) and the least decline in DHL2. The genotypes DHL21 and DHL5 exhibited increased expression rate of salt-stress-related genes (TaNHX1, TaHKT1, and TaCAT1) compared with DHL2 and Sakha93 under salt stress conditions. Principle component analysis detection of the first two components explains 70.78% of the overall variation of all traits (28 out of 32 traits). A multiple linear regression model and path coefficient analysis showed a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.93. The models identified two interpretive variables, number of spikelets, and/or number of kernels, which can be unbiased traits for assessing wheat DHLs under salinity stress conditions, given their contribution and direct impact on the grain yield.
Highlights
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is considered one of the most important cereal grain crops worldwide
Leaf water content (LWC) reduced from 89.91% to 78.34%, from 76.76% to 67.65%, and from 85.31% to 70.59% in DHL2, DHL5, and DHL21, respectively; in exchange, there was no significant reduction in LWC in either DHL21 or Sakha93
The increase in canopy temperature (CT) ranged from 22.33 ◦C for DHL21 to 24.36 ◦C for Sakha93, which were 21.33 ◦C and 21.55 ◦C for the control, respectively
Summary
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is considered one of the most important cereal grain crops worldwide. Salinity is a serious abiotic stressor and a great concern for plant breeders and researchers in the field of plant physiology and biotechnology, prompting them to reach a credible screening criteria of salt tolerance in wheat genotypes [5]. This aim may be achieved by closely using a combination of classical and modern breeding approaches and selecting reliable phenotypic traits and high computer-powered modeling of multi-trait data to provide a greater understanding of the complicated metabolic mechanisms that function under abiotic stress conditions [1,6,7,8]
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