Breeding improvement of spring Indian dwarf wheat <i>Triticum sphaerococcum</i> Percival under the conditions of the Middle Volga region

Abstract

Background. Indian dwarf wheat (Triticum sphaerococcum Percival) has positive traits: round grain shape, excellent flour and grain quality, and a short stem, but it is difficult to develop cultivars of this species due to low productivity. The main problem in the improvement of T. sphaerococcum is the pleiotropic effect of grain roundness and ear compactness caused by the S-D1 and C2 genes. These genes are inherited together with negative features peculiar to this species: small grain, and low ear productivity. This paper presents the results of breeding improvement of Indian dwarf wheat from the VIR collection.Materials and methods. The research materials were five T. sphaerococcum accessions from the VIR collection, promising lines of Indian dwarf wheat released by the Tatar Research Institute of Agriculture, and regional reference cultivars. Conventional methods of spring bread wheat breeding were applied. Evaluation of main diseases was based on VIR’s methodological guidelines. Baking qualities were assessed using generally accepted methods and standards adopted in Russia.Results. The work resulted in producing competitive lines of T. sphaerococcum which surpassed the original accessions in yield and resistance to main fungal diseases, but their grain yield was lower than that of the reference bread wheat cultivar ‘Yoldyz’. High flour and grain quality levels of Indian dwarf wheat were confirmed. A patent was obtained for the Indian dwarf wheat cultivar ‘Sakara’.