Abstract
AbstractLodging affects grain quality and grain yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and is difficult to breed for because its sporadic incidence and laborious protocols to measure lodging traits. Thus, developing molecular markers for these traits can increase selection efficiency in breeding programs. The aim of this article is to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with stem/anchorage strength and leverage traits (lodging traits) in a doubled‐haploid population of UK bread wheat Avalon × Cadenza. Field experiments were conducted in the UK during 2012–2013 near High Mowthorpe and during 2013–2014 at Sutton Bonington. Phenotypic and genetic analysis indicated significant genetic variation for all traits. Stem strength (diameter, wall width, and material strength) and leverage (plant height) traits were highly heritable (0.64–0.95), whereas anchorage strength traits (root plate spread and structural rooting depth) and ear number per plant (leverage trait) were less heritable (0.21–0.33). This study identified 18 QTL for lodging traits and grain yield in chromosomes 1D, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4D, 5B, and 6B. Two QTL for stem strength on chromosome 1D and 3B explaining 49.6% of the total phenotypic variation (PVE) are estimated to reduce stem lodging risk and shortening the plant height by 12 cm. One QTL for root plate spread on chromosome 5B explaining 22.4% of the PVE could increase root lodging resistance.
Highlights
Ear number per plant had a heritability of .30. These results indicate that the phenotypic variation found for root plate spread, structural rooting depth, and ear number per plant was largely caused by environmental and residual factors, but environmental effects were less important for the other target traits
Similar results were observed in winter wheat (Berry et al, 2003b, 2007; Berry & Berry, 2015) and spring wheat (Piñera-Chavez et al, 2016b) for these lodging traits
Anchorage strength characters showed the lowest heritability values in most of the aforementioned studies ranging from .11 to .40 (Berry & Berry, 2015; Piñera-Chavez et al, 2016b); averaging the heritability values across all these studies gives mean heritability values of above .60 for stem strength and .30 for root plate spread. These two traits have the greatest effects on strengthening the stem base and anchorage system and it is clear that an important percentage of the phenotypic variation is due to genetic effects
Summary
The Green Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s that produced the semi-dwarf cultivars (Conway, 1997) reduced the leverage on the stem base and anchorage system in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants, thereby increasing the lodging resistance (Berry et al, 2004). The most recent detailed lodging literature review by Berry et al (2004) has indicated that to counteract these forces it is necessary to strengthen the stem base and anchorage system This can be done by exploiting the biophysical properties of these components of the plant (lodging-related traits), which include root plate spread, structural rooting depth, and anchorage strength of the root system and diameter, wall width, breaking strength, length, stem strength, and material strength of the stem base. Berry et al (2007) reduced the number of traits to a set of key traits These included the root plate spread (main determinant of anchorage strength), diameter, material strength, and wall width of the stem base (determinants of stem strength) and plant height (main determinant of shoot and plant leverage). There is a requirement to find variation for this trait in more diverse germplasm to deploy in root plate spread breeding among elite materials
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