Abstract
Genetic characterization, diversity analysis and estimate of the genetic relationship among varieties using functional and random DNA markers linked to agronomic traits can provide relevant guidelines in selecting parents and designing new breeding strategies for marker-assisted wheat cultivar improvement. Here, we characterize 20 Moroccan and 19 exotic bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars using 47 functional and 7 linked random DNA markers associated with 21 loci of the most important traits for wheat breeding. The functional marker analysis revealed that 35, 45, and 10 % of the Moroccan cultivars, respectively have the rust resistance genes (Lr34/Yr18/Pm38), dwarfing genes (Rht1b or Rht2b alleles) and the leaf rust resistance gene (Lr68). The marker alleles for genes Lr37/Yr17/Sr38, Sr24 and Yr36 were present only in the exotic cultivars and absent in Moroccan cultivars. 25 % of cultivars had 1BL.1RS translocation. 70 % of the wheat cultivars had Ppo-D1a and Ppo-A1b associated with low polyphenol oxidase activity. 10 % of cultivars showed presence of a random DNA marker allele (175 bp) linked to Hessian fly resistance gene H22. The majority of the Moroccan cultivars were carrying alleles that impart good bread making quality. Neighbor joining (NJ) and principal coordinate analysis based on the marker data revealed a clear differentiation between elite Moroccan and exotic wheat cultivars. The results of this study are useful for selecting suitable parents for making targeted crosses in marker-assisted wheat breeding and enhancing genetic diversity in the wheat cultivars.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13205-016-0413-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important staple crop, providing 20 % of all calories consumed by people worldwide
Genetic diversity of 20 elite Moroccan cultivars and 19 potential exotic cultivars to be deployed in the breeding program was evaluated using 47 functional and 7 random DNA markers linked to the target traits of interest
The 54 primer pairs for specific alleles linked to 21 loci distributed in 12 chromosomes showed a good polymorphism in Moroccan cultivars with slight difference to the exotic cultivars
Summary
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important staple crop, providing 20 % of all calories consumed by people worldwide. Demand for wheat is predicted to increase in the future as the global population increases. With the world’s population estimated to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, wheat production will have a crucial bearing on food security and the global economy in the coming decades. In Morocco, wheat is the most consumed cereal crop, with a per capita consumption of 258 kg annually (USDA Foreign Agricultural Service 2014). In Morocco, it is cultivated in an area of 3.2 million ha, mostly in rainfed conditions with a production of 6.9 million tonnes in 2013 (FAOSTAT 2014). Morocco is not self sufficient in wheat production in most of the years and imports bread wheat for its domestic consumption
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