Effect of 1BL.1RS on Agronomic Performance of Soft Red Winter Wheat

Abstract

The wheat (Triticura aestivura L.)‐rye (Secale cereale L.) translocation, IBL.IRS, has been reported to enhance yield potential in hard wheat germplasms. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of IBL.IRS on yield potential in soft red winter wheat. Agronomic traits associated with yield potential were measuredin 40 F9‐derived sister lines in two soft red winter wheat genetic backgrounds, SW85*294 and SW85*5626. The presence of IBL.IRS had no significant impact on grain yield, kernel weight, biological (total aboveground) yield, harvest index, fertile tillers, spikelets per head, or kernels per spikelet. This effect was independento f productione nvironment in which the translocation was assessed. The presence of the translocation caused a 3.3‐ and 4.0‐cm reduction in plant height in SW85*5626a nd SW85*294,r espectively. A significant reduction in lodging was associated with reduced height. Heading date was delayed ≈ 1 d in SW85*294 but was not affected in SW85*5626. The elfeet of genetic backgrounwd as large relative to the effect of the translocation for all traits measured. These data suggest that where grain yield is a primary objective of the breeding program, emphasis should be placed on selection for genes on other wheat chromosomersa ther than for the presence of the IBL.IRS translocation.