Attempts to Transfer Russian Wheat Aphid Resistance from a Rye Chromosome in Russian Triticales to Wheat

Abstract

The Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia Mordvilko) is a serious pest of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). To extend the range of genetic variation of resistance, attempts were undertaken to transfer near‐immunity to RWA into wheat from two Russian triticales (X. Triticosecale Wittmack) PI 386146 and PI 386156 by irradiation and by induced homologous recombination. The rye genome in the triticale lines was derived from Secale montanum Guss. Tests of resistance in early backcrosses to wheat indicated that the near‐immunity of the triticale lines was controlled by at least two loci, one of which was located on rye chromosome arm 4RLmon Centric wheat‐rye translocation 7DS.4RLmon that appeared to be compensating, was produced. To further reduce the amount of rye chromatin present, its long arm was induced to recombine with wheat chromosomes by the removal of the Ph1 locus. Among 3563 progeny screened, only two wheat‐rye recombinant chromosomes were recovered. Both appeared to be non‐compensating and were involved in multivalents in meiosis. Irradiation of PI 386156 followed by crosses and backcrosses to wheat with several generations of selection for resistance resulted in a wheat line that was found to be a disomic addition of chromosome 4Rmon–centric translocation homozygote of rye chromosome tentatively identified as 5Rmon With only one locus for resistance from the original triticale parents, the addition line of 4Rmon, centric translocation line 7DS.4RLmon and recombinant lines of 4RLmon had only moderate level of resistance to RWA. The study demonstrates that transfers of alien variation into wheat may be severely complicated by unclear genetics of the target traits, low levels of homology, and structural differences between the donor and recipient chromosomes.