Abstract
Common rye (Secale cereale L.) is one of the most important cereals in Europe. Nevertheless, its germplasm collections are among the least numerous compared with cereals. There are only about 27,000 Secale accessions in 70 gene banks around the world. Despite extensive research on the molecular characterization of genetic resources, only a fraction of this collection has been described. The main objective of the presented study was to perform genotypic and phenotypic characterization of an obsolete gene pool represented by 100 accessions originated from 28 countries around the world and preserved in the gene bank of the Polish Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden – Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin. Genetic analysis using simple sequence repeat markers showed that the obsolete gene pool is relatively large. This indicates that different sources of variability were used in breeding programs. However, the genetic variation is in no way related to the place of origin. Despite the great differences in the genetic make-up, the collection showed a broadly common phenotype. This could result in a low level of interest among breeders in the stored germplasm, undervalued as a source of important but not easily observable traits, e.g., high disease resistance, which was found in some accessions.
Highlights
Common rye (Secale cereale L.) belongs to the Poaceae family and is one of the most important cereal crops cultivated inKey message The obsolete gene pool of rye from the gene bank collection has a high genetic variation that is neither associated with the place of origin nor expressed in the phenotype
The overall aims of this work were (i) to determine SSR based genetic diversity of obsolete gene pool of rye preserved in gene bank of Polish Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden – Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin, (ii) to evaluate the variation of agro-morphological traits, (iii) to develop a core collection, and (iv) to identify accessions with potential utility for breeding programs
A consensus configuration of both levels of describing rye collection was obtained by the generalized Procrustes analysis (GPA) (Gower 1975)
Summary
Common rye (Secale cereale L.) belongs to the Poaceae family and is one of the most important cereal crops cultivated inKey message The obsolete gene pool of rye from the gene bank collection has a high genetic variation that is neither associated with the place of origin nor expressed in the phenotype. Common rye (Secale cereale L.) belongs to the Poaceae family and is one of the most important cereal crops cultivated in. It is characterized by the ability to produce high yields even when grown under environmental stress conditions, i.e., low temperatures, drought, and low soil fertility. The presence of disease resistance genes reduces the need for intensive chemical protection of this crop (Korzun et al 2001; Schlegel and Melz 1996). Rye offers high contents of many favorable compounds such as a whole suite of minerals (including Zn, Fe, and P), beta-glucans, resistant starch, and bioactive compounds. Rye products are characterized by a high level of dietary fiber (Andersson et al 2009) that may contribute to positive health effects (Rosén et al 2011)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
