Abstract
With the aim of identifying durum wheat landraces (LR) with a potential use in breeding programs for gluten strength enhancement, the allelic combinations present at five glutenin loci were determined in a collection of 155 LR from 21 Mediterranean countries. A set of 18 modern cultivars (MC) was used for comparison. Gluten strength was determined by SDS-sedimentation test on grain samples from field experiments conducted during 3 years. A total number of 131 different allelic/banding pattern combinations were found. Taking together high (HMW-) and low (LMW-) molecular weight glutenin subunit loci resulted in 126 combinations in LR, but only nine in MC, which are characterized for having strong gluten. Two LMW-2 type models were identified in the collection and LMW-1 types were absent. LMW-2 was present in 78 % of MC, including the only three with outstanding gluten strength (Ocotillo, Claudio and Meridiano), while 14 % of the LR had LMW-2 and 6 % LMW-2−. In the LR a known combination LMW-2 (aaa) and three new ones had a positive effect on the gluten strength. LMW-2 models were found in high frequency in LR from Italy and the three Maghreb countries; from medium to low frequencies in genotypes from Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Portugal and Spain, and were absent in the remaining countries. The large variability found in LR proved their potential value in breeding to broaden the genetic basis of gluten quality improvement. Genotypes interesting for breeding purposes are identified.
Highlights
Durum wheat (Triticum durum) is one of the oldest cultivated cereal species in the world
Results of a previous study involving SSR-based molecular diversity evaluation indicated that the 155 LR used here may be considered as representative of the genetic diversity of ancient local durum populations from the Mediterranean Basin
The same study concluded that the Eastern Mediterranean LR retained the greatest variability, which is consistent with this region being the geographic center of genetic diversity for wheat (Feldman 2001)
Summary
Durum wheat (Triticum durum) is one of the oldest cultivated cereal species in the world. Durum wheat spread from this region westward into the Mediterranean basin, reaching the Iberian Peninsula around 7,000 years BP (Feldman 2001; MacKey 2005). It is widely accepted that durum wheat entered to North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula from the South of Italy (MacKey 2005). Natural and human selection resulted in a wide diversity of local LR adapted to different agro-ecological areas. These dynamic populations, with distinct identity, are considered to be genetically more diverse than the currently cultivated varieties, locally adapted and associated with traditional farming systems (Camacho Villa et al 2005). Nowadays LR are considered a natural reservoir of the genetic variation within the species and one of the most important sources for potentially favorable genes/ alleles to be used in breeding programs
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