Gene Pool of Winter Wheat from the World Collection of N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) for Biotic Stress Resistance.

Sulukhan Temirbekova,Ibrahim Jafarov,Ivan Kulikov,Yuliya Afanaseva,Elena Kalashnikova

doi:10.3390/pathogens10050514

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the 50 year-long research into the winter wheat gene pool from the VIR world collection in the Moscow region to assess biotic stress resistance following N.I. Vavilov’s concept of the ‘ideal variety’, proposed in 1935. The Federal Scientific Selection and Technology Center for Horticulture and Nursery was responsible for the field studies of winter wheat, and the All-Russian Research Institute of Phytopathology and Russian State Agrarian University—Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy—for phytopathological studies. The wheat collection was studied in compliance with the VIR Methodological Guidelines using the International COMECON list of descriptors for the genus Triticum L. Resistance against the enzyme–mycotic depletion of seeds (EMDS) was tested using original techniques. It was found that annual brown rust and powdery mildew attacks in the collection’s winter wheat samples caused no significant economic damage. One case of Septoria head and leaf blotch, two cases of Fusarium head blight, one case of root rot, one case of barley yellow dwarf virus, 20 cases of EMDS, and three cases of 3rd-degree EMDS, i.e., seed germination in an ear, were recorded. The parent material resistant to the biotic stresses of the region was selected for breeding. Domestic breeders have created outstanding wheat varieties close to the ‘ideal’ as noted by N.I. Vavilov.

Highlights

Vavilov recognized the special role of resistance to diseases in producing an ideal cultivar as early as 1935 [1]. He believed that cultivating pest- and disease-resistant plant varieties was among the top priorities of plant breeding
It is worth mentioning that despite the necessity to evaluate powdery mildew resistance in winter wheat from the world collection, no significant damage from the disease and no associated crop losses were reported in the Moscow Region throughout the research period
Resistance to increased and excessive humidity during a grain filling period causing the development of grain exhaustion or enzyme–mycotic depletion of seeds (EMDS) is considered another limiting factor in the Moscow Region

Summary

Introduction

The most difficult and pressing plant breeding issue is to combine resistances to multiple diseases in one variety When it comes to breeding for immunity, possible changes in the racial composition of pathogens depending heavily on weather changes and the introduction of new virulent races have to be taken into account [2,3]. It is worth mentioning that despite the necessity to evaluate powdery mildew resistance in winter wheat from the world collection, no significant damage from the disease and no associated crop losses were reported in the Moscow Region throughout the research period. All samples, both foreign and domestic, showed high tolerance to the disease. Throughout the research period, the collection samples were tolerant to the root rot pathogen, and the disease had no significant effect

Resistance to Enzyme-Mycotic Depletion of Seeds

Materials and Methods

Findings

Conclusions