Durum Wheat Cultivars Research Articles

Grain yield of wheat advanced lines adapted to stress, during the crop season 2017-2018

Twenty five advanced wheat lines which included six groups of sister lines and the commercial durum wheat cultivar Movas C2009 as well as bread wheat cultivar Borlaug 100 were sown on January 16 and 30, 2018, at the Norman E. Borlaug Experimental Station, in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. Plots consisted of 1 bed 2 m long with two rows and 0.80 m apart without replications, and a seed density of 100 kg ha-1. Average daily temperature (°C), maximum, minimum, relative humidity, rainfall, and cold units were recorded from January 16 to May 15, 2018. The variables evaluated were: days to heading, a thousand grain weight (g), and grain yield per plot (g). The average days for heading of lines was 69 days. The average plant height of the group was 84 cm; lines IWA8612949/3/2*ATILLA*2/PBW65//MURGA and BAV92/SERI showed a height of 100 and 95 cm, respectively. The average a thousand grain weight of the group was 41.3 g; line SOKOLL/3/PASTOR//HXL7573 /2*BAU/4/SOKOLL/WBLL1 showed the highest weight with 46.3 g, followed by IWA8612949/3/2*ATILLA*2 /PBW65//MURGA and CROC_1/AE.SQUARROSA(256)/4/PASTOR//HXL7573/2*BAU/3/WBLL1/5/BABAX/ LR42//BABAX/3/ER2000 with 46.2 and 45.3 g, respectively; while the line FRANCOLIN#1 showed the lowest TGW with 36.2 g. The average grain yield per plot was 339.5 g. Outstanding lines were W15.92/4/PASTOR// HXL7573/2*BAU/3/WBLL1 (442 g), SOKOLL (426 g), and FRANCOLIN#1 (422 g) which were above 5.27 t ha-1. The average temperature was 19.26°C with a maximum of 38.7°C and a minimum of 2.1°C; the average relative humidity was 64.0%; there were 9.1 mm of precipitation, and the number of cold units was 254.

Determining factors of durum wheat bread loaf volume and alveograph characteristics under optimal, drought and heat stress conditions

Durum wheat is an important crop, especially in Mediterrannean countries; around 25% of durum wheat world-wide, and 70–90% in the Middle East, is used for bread making. Climate change is causing increased periods of drought stress and higher temperatures which are affecting wheat quality. Alveograph extensibility is important for durum wheat loaf volume (LFV), as is the relationship between dough tenacity and extensibility. This study was done to identify the factors determining LFV and alveograph properties under optimal and stress conditions. Six durum wheat cultivars with the same glutenin composition were grown for two seasons under optimal, drought and heat stress conditions. Good LFV was consistently related with higher dough extensibility, irrespective of production conditions. A number of the LMW glutenin fractions, and the γ-gliadins were significantly reduced and β-gliadins were increased under both heat and drought stress. The large and total unextractable polymeric proteins and unextractable HMW glutenins were significantly reduced by heat stress. In a multiple regression of LFV (without alveograph values), solvent retention capacity and sodium dodecyl sulphate sedimentation were the best predictors of LFV under all conditions. Size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography fractions combined with flour protein content were good predictors of LFV only under optimal conditions.

Whole-genome resequencing-based characterization of a durum wheat landrace showing similarity to 'Senatore Cappelli'.

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum) is a major cereal adopted since antiquity to feed humans. Due to its use, dating back several millennia, this species features a wide genetic diversity and landraces are considered important repositories of gene pools which constitute invaluable tools for breeders. The aim of this work is to provide a first characterization of a wheat landrace, referred to as 'TB2018', that was collected in the Apulia region (Southern Italy). 'TB2018' revealed, through visual inspection, characters reminiscent of the traditional variety 'Senatore Cappelli', while exhibiting a distinctive trait, i.e., reduced stature. Indeed, the comparison with a set of Italian durum wheat cultivars conducted in this study, in which 24 CPVO plant descriptors were adopted, placed the 'TB2018' landrace in proximity to the 'Senatore Cappelli' cultivar. In addition, the close similarity between the two genotypes was confirmed by the analysis of the seed protein pattern. A relative reduction was detected for 'TB2018' root elongation in the early stages of plant growth. The 'TB2018' genome sequence, obtained through low-coverage resequencing and comparison to the reference 'Svevo' cultivar is also reported in this study, followed by a genome-wide comparison against 259 durum wheat accessions that placed 'TB2018' close to the 'Cappelli' reference. Hundreds of genes putatively affected by variants that possess Gene Ontology descriptors were detected, among which some were shown to be putatively linked to the morphological traits that distinguish 'TB2018' from 'Senatore Cappelli', Overall, this study poses the basis for a possible exploitation of 'TB2018' per se in cultivation or as a source of alternative alleles in the breeding of traditional cultivars. This work also presents a genomic methodology that exploits the information contained in a low-depth, whole-genome sequence to derive genotypic data useful for cross-platform (chip data) comparisons.

On-farm assessment of agronomic performance of rainfed wheat cultivars under different tillage systems

Evaluation of new cultivars for the agronomic performance under actual on-farm conditions is a highly recommended method for assessing the performance and stability of new cultivars in variable environments and under different management practices. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance and agronomic characteristics of new wheat cultivars in on-farm conditions using different tillage systems to provide suggestions to help the improvement programs and increase the farmers' crop productivity from cropping systems and new cultivars. Seven wheat cultivars, including three bread wheat and four durum wheat cultivars, were evaluated under three tillage systems, including conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT), and no-tillage (NT) in farmers' fields conditions across two locations and three cropping seasons (2018–21). The results indicated that some of the traits were mainly explained by the genotype effect (thousand kernel weight, heading date and NDVI), while some others by the management practices (grain yield), some by the location (grain yield, spike density, heading date) and year (grain yield, TKW, NDVI, spike density, heading date) effects. Across years and locations, the highest productivity was recorded under CT (2603 kg/ha) followed by RT (2378 kg/ha) and NT (2295 kg/ha), indicating about 13% and 10% superiority production under CT compared with NT and RT, respectively. The wheat cultivars showed different responses to tillage systems, showing the performance of genotypes varied between tillage systems. The Shalan and Eminbey varieties did not interact with tillage systems, but other genotypes significantly differed in their adaptation to tillage systems. The highest mean yield was recorded for the Saji cultivar (durum wheat) under RT (2310 kg/ha), while the Shalan cultivar (bread wheat) performed well in NT (2058 kg/ha), and Saji, Imren, Zahab (durum wheat), and Rijaw and Paraw (bread wheat) had the highest yield under CT. According to GGE biplot analysis, the Shalan and Eminbey varieties had superior performance across on-farm trials, suggesting that they have a broad adaptation to diverse environments. The results identified genotypes with both specific and general adaptions to tillage systems in farmers' fields, that could be explored for increasing productivity and stability under rainfed conditions. Conservation agriculture principles must be incorporated into current wheat breeding program under CT system, to use wheat genetic diversity for conservation agriculture conditions to keep pace food insecurity.

Defining durum wheat ideotypes adapted to Mediterranean environments through remote sensing traits.

An acceleration of the genetic advances of durum wheat, as a major crop for the Mediterranean region, is required, but phenotyping still represents a bottleneck for breeding. This study aims to define durum wheat ideotypes under Mediterranean conditions by selecting the most suitable phenotypic remote sensing traits among different ones informing on characteristics related with leaf pigments/photosynthetic status, crop water status, and crop growth/green biomass. A set of 24 post-green revolution durum wheat cultivars were assessed in a wide set of 19 environments, accounted as the specific combinations of a range of latitudes in Spain, under different management conditions (water regimes and planting dates), through 3 consecutive years. Thus, red-green-blue and multispectral derived vegetation indices and canopy temperature were evaluated at anthesis and grain filling. The potential of the assessed remote sensing parameters alone and all combined as grain yield (GY) predictors was evaluated through random forest regression models performed for each environment and phenological stage. Biomass and plot greenness indicators consistently proved to be reliable GY predictors in all of the environments tested for both phenological stages. For the lowest-yielding environment, the contribution of water status measurements was higher during anthesis, whereas, for the highest-yielding environments, better predictions were reported during grain filling. Remote sensing traits measured during the grain filling and informing on pigment content and photosynthetic capacity were highlighted under the environments with warmer conditions, as the late-planting treatments. Overall, canopy greenness indicators were reported as the highest correlated traits for most of the environments and regardless of the phenological moment assessed. The addition of carbon isotope composition of mature kernels was attempted to increase the accuracies, but only a few were slightly benefited, as differences in water status among cultivars were already accounted by the measurement of canopy temperature.

Evaluation of Some Durum Wheat Cultivars Under Water Deficit Using Conservation and Traditional Agriculture Systems

Evaluation of Some Durum Wheat Cultivars Under Water Deficit Using Conservation and Traditional Agriculture Systems

The Effect of Different Lime Forms on Cadmium Uptake of Durum Wheat Varieties

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) and its human transport with food chain is a major environmental issue worldwide. The research was based on a pot experiment conducted on fifteen durum wheat cultivars, grown on acid soil pH 5.2. The effect of application of two different lime form (lime1=CaO; Calcium oxide and lime2=CaCO3; limestone) and on shoot dry weight and shoot concentrations of cadmium (Cd). Durum wheat cultivars were grown in strongly acid soil pH 5.2 treated with control (lime0), lime1 (CaO3 g kg-1 soil), lime2 (5.36 g CaCO3) and Cd (5 and 10 mg kg-1 soil) and harvested after 62 days of growth under greenhouse conditions. Durum wheat cultivars without lime fertilization caused decrease in shoot growth, in all durum wheat cultivars and at high Cd treatment. On the other hand, application of lime to the soil resulted in an increase in dry matter yield at both Cd5 and Cd10 doses. While average shoot dry matter yield of lime0 conditions of cadmium 10 dose was 47 mg plant-1, this yield increased to 120 mg plant-1 in lime1 application and to 111 mg plant-1 in lime2 application. Shoot Cd concentrations of durum wheat varieties caused a statistically significant decrease with lime1 and lime2 applications, whereas lime0 and lime2 applications of Cd5 dose caused 46% and 30% decrease in average Cd concentrations, respectively. The results indicated that all durum wheat cultivars were more susceptible to both without lime and Cd toxicity as compared to lime treatment. Cadmium toxicity in the shoot was relieved by lime1 and lime2 treatment. The results indicate that lime protects plants from Cd toxicity in durum wheat cultivars.

Mapping QTL conferring flag leaf senescence in durum wheat cultivars.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01410-3.

Evaluation of durum wheat cultivars under certified organic production in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico

Durum wheat cultivars Don Lupe Oro C2020 and the regional check CIRNO C2008, and Baroyeca Oro C2013 and the check, were evaluated for grain yield during the crop seasons 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, respectively, in a plot with organic certification, at the Norman E. Borlaug Experimental Station in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. For the first season, land preparation consisted of three passes of harrowing, leveling, and making beds 80 cm apart with three rows. Fertilizer was not applied since the previous crop was chickpea which had been fertilized with 5 t ha-1 of poultry manure. Sowing was carried out on December 2, 2021, with a seed density of 120 kg ha-1; one pre-sowing and three complementary irrigations were applied. For 2022-2023, the land was managed as in the previous season, except for the application of the granulated compost BIDA. Sowing was carried out on November 23, 2022, with a seed density of 100 kg ha-1 in beds with two rows. One pre-sowing and four complementary irrigations were applied. Don Lupe Oro C2020 showed an average of 5.051 t ha-1, while CIRNO C2008 5.641. Baroyeca Oro C2013 showed an average grain yield of 6.904 t ha-1, while the check 8.056. Despite the lower yield of both cultivars in relation to CIRNO C2008, they are resistant to leaf rust and the average b Minolta value of the pigment of semolina is 30.8, therefore, they are good candidates to be cultivated under organic agriculture.

Pathogenicity and quantitative resistance in Mediterranean durum and bread wheat cultivars of Syrian origin towards Fusarium head blight agents under controlled conditions

Pathogenicity and quantitative resistance in Mediterranean durum and bread wheat cultivars of Syrian origin towards Fusarium head blight agents under controlled conditions

Exploring the Agronomic Performance and Molecular Characterization of Diverse Spring Durum Wheat Germplasm in Kazakhstan

Spring durum wheat occupies over 0.5 M ha in Kazakhstan and represents an important domestic and export commodity. This study aimed to characterize 151 durum wheat cultivars and advanced lines originating from eight breeding programs of the Kazakhstan–Siberia Spring Wheat Improvement Network (KASIB) between 2003 and 2018. The phenotypic characterization was performed in two contracting evaluation sites more than 1000 km apart (Almaty in the Southeast and Shortandy in the North) for two years and a total of 11 agronomic traits were recorded. Field trials at both locations followed regional agronomy practices, including sowing, harvesting, and genotype evaluation using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The growing season was longer in Almaty, resulting in a higher number of grains per spike. Though grains are smaller in size with an overall higher yield, 243 g/m2 versus 170 g/m2, there was no correlation between germplasm performance at the two sites. Molecular characterization was performed with 10 iPBS-retrotransposons primers that resulted in a total of 345 bands and showed a mean polymorphism of 91.9%. Mean values of gene diversity (0.251), Shannon’s information index (0.388), and expected heterozygosity (0.233) revealed a relatively high level of genetic diversity in the KASIB set. AMOVA revealed higher genetic variations due to differences within the populations. Marker-based cluster analysis, including STRUCTURE and neighbor-joining algorithms, divided the material into two populations with clear differences in geographic origin. Superiors and diverse germplasm identified in the study are recommended for marker assisted selection and breeding.

Evaluation of Yield and its Components of Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Cultivars Grown Under Rain-Fed and Supplementary Irrigation Locations in Nineveh Province

A field experiment was carried out in two locations (Talkaif and Fayda) in Nineveh Province during the agricultural season (2021-2022) to evaluate 30 cultivars of durum wheat in terms of yield and its components under two Irrigation patterns (supplementary Irrigation SI and Rain-fed), the results showed that the cultivars differed significantly among themselves, the cultivar Firat -93 was significantly higher than the other cultivars in the two locations of Telkaif and Fayda in the No. of spikes.m−2 and the weight of 1000 grains, as it gave (396.67 spikes.m−2, 48 gm.) and (281.33 spikes.m−2, 39.52gm.), respectively. The cultivars Dor-29, Fada 98, and Sarıbasak was superior in the No. of grains.spike−1 for both locations (42.17, 41.67, 41.33) and (30.17, 29, 29.17) respectively, while the cultivar Acsad-65 excelled in grains yield gm.m−2 for both locations (531.39, 226.76), respectively. The two cultivars Smito and Saribasak excelled in terms of grains yield in Fayda location only, reaching (223.4, 214.78 gm.m−2), respectively, while the two cultivars Smito and Ari achieved significant superiority in biological yield. (943.67, 918.33 gm.m−2). As for the Irrigation pattern, all cultivars grown under the SI pattern achieved significant superiority for all traits and for both locations of the experiment.

Estimating genetic diversity among durum wheat (Triticum durum desf.) landraces using morphological and SRAP markers

The durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum Desf.) Landraces are a valuable source of natural germplasm for enhancing the genetic diversity of existing durum wheat cultivars. The study analyzed the genetic diversity of twenty-two durum wheat landraces including eight local Saudi landraces and fourteen introduced landraces using sixteen morphological descriptors and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers. The results showed significant differences between the analyzed agro-morphological parameters and a large degree of genetic variation across the tested landraces. Principle components analysis (PCA) was used to determine agro-morphological relationships among different traits. The first six principal components (PCs) accounted for 78.47 % of the cumulative variability among 22 landraces. The PC1demonstrated variability in coleoptile anthocyanin coloration, straw pith, culm neck glaucosity, flag leaf glaucosity, ear glaucosity, and length of awn at tip relative to length of ear. Wheat landraces (L8, L14, L497, L569, L590, L594, L600, L601, and L602) showed increased diversity in dry region and contributed to PC1. A couple landraces had higher plant height (L12, L598, and L654), heading days (650, 656), and ear length (L12, L594, and L650) respectively. The dendrogram generated from the standardized morphological data separated the twenty-two durum wheat genotypes mainly into two clusters. The landraces 14, 600 and 602 grouped into separate cluster with strong correlation to ear glaucosity. Genetic diversity of these landraces was also evaluated using eight SRAP markers, with 482 amplified fragments and an average polymorphic information content (PIC) of 0.27. The dendrogram based on SRAP markers separated into two clusters with some diversified landraces (L8, 594, 602, 977, and L650). The Mantel test found no significant correlation (phenotypic or genetic) between 22 wheat durum landraces (r = 0.013, p = 0.84, =0.05). The results demonstrated the power of morphological and SRAP markers for detecting diversity among durum wheat landraces in the semi-arid region of Saudi Arabia. Thus, study provides insights into wheat diversity for better in-situ and ex-situ conservation and paves the road for their use in a Saudi durum wheat breeding program.

Differences in the Physiological Indicators of Seed Germination and Seedling Establishment of Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Cultivars Subjected to Salinity Stress

To investigate the effects of salinity stress on durum wheat cultivars at the critical stages of germination and seedling establishment under salinity stress, a study was conducted on eight durum wheat cultivars (Karim, Khiar, Inrat100, Maali, Monastir, Portodur, Razeg, and Salim) subjected to an increasing salinity concentration by using sodium chloride (NaC) (0, 2, 4, 6, and 10 g L−1). Germination and seedling physiological parameters were measured and thoroughly analyzed. Salinity stress significantly decreased germination capacity (GC), germination rate (GR), final germination capacity (FGC), germination index (GI), mean daily germination (MDG), and velocity coefficient (Vc), whereas mean germination time (MGT) and the stress index (SI) increased. Plantlet growth and initial vigor (IV) were also significantly hampered. Regarding all these traits, the cultivars’ differences were revealed: Karim and Salim were the least affected, whereas Razeg and Maali were the most affected, and the other cultivars occupied an intermediate position. Depending on cultivar, salinity stress decreased the germination capacity and delayed its initiation. At low salinity stress (2–4 g L−1 NaCl), the osmotic effect (OE) was the main cause of germination inhibition, whereas at high salinity stress (6–10 g L−1 NaCl), the toxic effect (TE) dominated and irreversibly inhibited the germination process. The initial vigor and the stress index that clearly discriminate among the studied cultivars are useful traits for screening tolerant genotypes. Otherwise, durum wheat showed a higher plasticity with salinity at the germination stage, allowing it to develop better tolerance at this stage, as compared to early stage plantlet growth.

‘Nachit’, a wild‐relative‐derived durum wheat resilient to climate change in Morocco

AbstractMorocco, in North Africa, is a country vastly exposed to the whims of climate change, with frequent moisture and heat stresses occurring throughout the season. Hence, developing climate‐resilient, high‐yielding, and nutritious cultivars of durum wheat [Triticum turgidum L. durum (Desf.)] is a major goal and challenge of Moroccan crop breeders. In that sense, the exploitation of crop wild relatives (CWRs) holds great potential to increase genetic diversity for critical adaptation traits. ‘Nachit’ (Reg. no. CV‐1202, PI 702365) is a CWR‐derived durum wheat cultivar released in 2018 for cultivation in Morocco by a joint effort of the National Institute of Agronomic Research, Morocco and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. Nachit was released due to its good adaptation to the Moroccan dry conditions combined with high yield potential under irrigated conditions, extremely large grains, and richness in protein content. It also combines several traits for drought tolerance such as earliness and deep root system. Nachit was derived from a top cross between two elite lines and a wild emmer [T. turgidum ssp. dicoccoides] collected in Syria. Hence, it provides a substantial example of exploitation of CWRs to achieve a superior cultivar adapted to the climatic stresses and responding to human needs.

Multi‐location trials identify stable high‐yielding spring bread and durum wheat cultivars in Mexico

AbstractDetermining the stability and consistency of grain yield performance requires accurate evaluation of genotypes in different environments. In Mexico, annual national spring wheat irrigated trials (ENTRI) are conducted to assess elite bread (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum (Triticum durum L.) wheat performance in different testing environments (TEs) in the main wheat‐growing areas. These trials provide data supporting release of new cultivars and aim to also address Mexican wheat value chain grain needs. This study analyzed grain yield performance of 30 bread and durum wheat cultivars grown in trials in the 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 growing cycles conducted across TEs in northwest, north, and central Mexico. Environmental variability (location, sowing timing, and irrigation schemes) across the ENTRI enabled genotype by environment interaction to be effectively evaluated. Bread and durum wheat genotypes with high and stable grain yield were also identified and compared across TEs of the wheat‐growing areas of Mexico. The bread wheat cultivars Bacorehuis F2015 and Borlaug100 F2014, and the durum cultivars Barobampo C2015, CONASIST C2015, and Anatoly C2011 were high yielding and gave stable performance in most of the TEs. This analysis demonstrates the utility of multi‐year, multi‐environment testing and analysis to identify improved wheat cultivars to meet wheat production demand in Mexico. It also provides useful testing and analysis methods for selection of suitable broadly as well as locally adapted varieties in other wheat producing regions of the world.

Changes in radiation capture and use in response to the nitrogen status of durum wheat cultivars at different developmental stages

Changes in radiation capture and use in response to the nitrogen status of durum wheat cultivars at different developmental stages

Effects of Slag Applications and Salinity Stress on Greenhouse Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Plants

The search for sustainable practices to increase productivity is a fundamental need in current agriculture. Steel slag has been studied for its potential use in agriculture. These substances present a great ability of agricultural applications since they are rich in nutrients. The effect of steel slag-based fertilizer was investigated on greenhouse durum wheat cultivar under salt-stress conditions. Two doses of slag: 10 g slag/ kg soil (D1) and 20 g slag/ kg soil (D2) were evaluated under no salt-stress (0 mM NaCl) and salt-stress conditions (100 mM NaCl) for salinity stress mitigation. Morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters of wheat were measured and compared to the different treatments. Exposure of wheat to salinity decreased its biomass, stomatal conductance, efficiency of photosystem II, and protein content, but it increased total soluble sugars, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. Amended plants with 10 g slag/ kg soil (D1) led to a significant improvement in biomass with an increase of shoot and root dry weights (133% and 400% respectively), stomatal conductance (22 %), soluble sugars (14 %), and protein content (158%) under saline conditions compared to the control treatment with 0 g slag/ kg soil (C), thus indicating a positive influence on durum wheat plants. Soil enrichment with 20 g slag/kg soil (D2) decreased plant growth parameters and presented the highest levels of H2O2 and MDA contents compared to the control and treatment (D1) after three months of cultivation under salt stress. This study supports the hypothesis of the application of slag at lower dose, which improves productivity of durum wheat and mitigate salinity stress.

Identification of Stem Rust Resistance Genes in Released Wheat Varieties by Linked SSR Markers and Phenotypic Screening

Wheat suffers significant yield losses due to stem rust disease caused by Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks and Henn. Molecular level assessment of existing Sr genes in improved and advanced wheat materials combined with phenotypic screening lays down the basis for effective varietal development against this production constraint. Therefore, this study was carried out: to detect stem rust resistance genes present in Ethiopian bread wheat and durum wheat varieties using molecular markers; and to determine their effectiveness for the virulent Ethiopian stem rust races including Ug99. Screening of 49 wheat varieties with 11 SSR markers linked to 11 Stem rust resistance genes resulted in the detection of 5 Stem rust resistance genes (<i>Sr22, Sr25, Sr24, Sr77</i> and <i>SrTA10187</i>) in a subset of 12 varieties. The detected number of genes ranged between 1 and 2 per genotype. Despite amplifying the expected fragment, the markers have also resulted in several off-target amplifications suggesting the need to develop other relatively stable markers specific to the target genes. Field resistance screening at Debre Zeit Research Center resulted in 20 varieties showing good resistance to stem rust of which 2 are durum wheat cultivars and the rest 18 are bread wheat varieties. Recent data in 2022, however, showed only 5 out of the 20 had a resistant reaction while the other even became susceptible. For instance, most of the mega bread wheat cultivars like Ogolcho also were defeated due to the newly emerging race TTKTT. Among the genes detected by molecular markers, only <i>SrTA10187</i> seems to be effective against the rust population in the field. Seedling resistances screening gave a range of proportion of Resistant (R) to Susceptible (S) variety varying from 12:36 for TTKTT; 40:8 for TKTTF; 39:9 for TTKSK and 44:4 for TTTTF. Eight varieties (Sulla, Galil, Huluka, Kingbird, Millenium, Obsa, Tate and Ilani) exhibited resistant reaction consistently across the four pathotypes. Nine varieties (Honqollo, Millenium, Kulkulu, Shorima, Hogana, Meraro, Ilani and Galil) identified as resistant at both seedling and Adult plant stage. The genes, <i>Sr22</i> in variety Oda and <i>Sr25</i> in variety Dinknesh appeared to be effective for TTKTT, TKTTF, TTKSK and TKTTF, TTKSK, TTTTF, respectively. The detected Stem rust resistance genes in the present study which are effective against the pathotyeps combined with the resistant varieties at seedling and adult plant stage can support the wheat breeding program towards improving the crop.

Chemometric analysis of Tunisian durum wheat metabolites using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS.

Bioactive compounds in wheat have received a great interest in the last few years due to their nutritional and health benefits. Various analytical procedures were used to identify these compounds in wheat kernels. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) was used for the screening of bioactive compounds in seven Tunisian durum wheat extracts. The aim of this study was to realize a screening of several classes of bioactive compounds in the same analysis and to identify specific metabolite markers for discriminating the durum wheat varieties. The UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS allows the detection of 81 metabolites, belonging to different chemical families such as sugars, organic acids, amino acids, fatty acids, and phenolic compounds represented by benzoic and cinnamic acid derivatives, phenolic alcohols, flavones, lignans, and condensed tannins. Chemical profiles identified varied greatly between different wheat genotypes. As far as the authors know, this is the first time that different chemical classes were detected at the same time in durum wheat kernels using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. This study gives the most complete map of metabolites in Tunisian durum wheat and proves that UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS coupled with chemometric analysis is a great tool for discrimination between durum wheat cultivars.