Genetic diversity of the cytoplasm in Triticum and Aegilops. X. The hexaploid triticale as an effective tester for plasma type distinction.

Abstract

To test the usefulness of hexaploid triticale (genome constitution AABBRR) as a plasma type tester for Triticum and Aegilops cytoplasms, six alloplasmic lines and a euplasmic line of both triticale cultivar Rosner and a common wheat cultivar Chinese Spring were grown under the same experimental design, and the effects of the individual alien cytoplasms on 16 morphological or physiological characters of Rosner and Chinese Spring were compared. Cytoplasms used in this study were derived from common and emmer wheats belonging to the B plasma type, Ae. Squarrosa and Ae. cylindrica belonging to the D plasma type, the D2 plasma type Ae. juvenalis, the M° plasma type Ae. ovata, and the S plasma type Ae. speltoides.D2, M° and S type cytoplasms caused severe growth depression, delayed heading and complete male sterility in Rosner triticale, thus affecting almost all its characters. D type cytoplasms caused about 50% reduction in seed fertility and slight decrease in culm diameter. The cytoplasm of common wheat was the same as that of Rosner which originated from an emmer wheat. By contrast, in Chinese Spring wheat, only the M° type cytoplasm affected several characters greatly. D and D2 cytoplasms exerted a significant influence on only one to two characters. B and S type cytoplasms behaved the same. Thus, it is concluded that the hexaploid triticale is a useful tester for critical distinction among the B, D, D2 and S type cytoplasms.