ITS regions in hexaploid bread wheat and its supposed progenitors

Abstract

Although hexaploid bread wheat is one of the most preferred research objects as it is an essential crop plant, its origin is still a matter of debate. Two of the three diploid progenitors of hexaploid wheat (genome AABBDD) have been identified: Triticum urartu (genome AA) and Aegilops tauschii (genome DD) but the origin of the B genome remains controversial. Much evidence suggests that an ancestor form or an unknown close relative of the diploid Aegilops speltoides was the B genome donor. In the present work nuclear ribosomal ITS regions of T. aestivum, T. turgidum ssp. dicoccon, T. monococcum ssp. monococcum, T. urartu, Ae. tauschii and Ae. speltoides were sequenced and analysed. ITS sequences of relative species available from the database of EMBL were also taken into studies. This work aimed to help to clarify the origin of the genomes of hexaploid bread wheat.