Search Results (17)

The review summarizes the historical and current research on perennial grain breeding in Russia within the context of growing global interest in perennial crops. N.V. Tsitsin’s pioneering work in the 1930s produced the first wheat–wheatgrass amphiploids, which demonstrated the capacity to regrow after harvest and survive for 2–3 years. Subsequent research at the Main Botanical Garden in Moscow focused on characterizing Tsitsin’s material, selecting superior germplasm, and expanding genetic diversity through new cycles of hybridization and selection. This work led to the development of a new crop species, Trititrigia, and the release of cultivar ‘Pamyati Lyubimovoy’ in 2020, designed for dual-purpose production of high-quality grain and green biomass. Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) is native to Russia, where several forage cultivars have been released and cultivated. Two large-grain cultivars (Sova and Filin) were developed from populations provided by the Land Institute and are now grown by farmers. Perennial rye was developed through interspecific crosses between Secale cereale and S. montanum, demonstrating persistence for 2–3 years with high biomass production and grain yields of 1.5–2.0 t/ha. Hybridization between Sorghum bicolor and S. halepense resulted in two released cultivars of perennial sorghum used primarily for forage production under arid conditions. Russia’s agroclimatic diversity in agricultural production systems provides significant opportunities for perennial crop development. The broader scientific and practical implications of perennial crops in Russia extend to climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture and international cooperation in this emerging field. Full article

The wild species Thinopyrum intermedium (genome JJJ^SJ^SStSt) serves as a valuable germplasm resource providing novel diseases resistance and agronomically important genes for wheat improvement. Two wheat-Th. intermedium partial amphiploids, TAI7045 (2n = 56) and 78784 (2n = 56), exhibit high resistance to stripe rust and powdery mildew, and their chromosome constitutions have been characterized. With the aim to transfer novel resistance genes from Th. intermedium, the crosses of common wheat line MY11 with TAI7045 and 78784 were produced, and their individual F₂-F₅ progenies were characterized using sequential non-denaturing fluorescence in situ hybridization (ND-FISH) and molecular markers. We identified a set of wheat-Th. intermedium addition lines, involving the chromosomes 1St-J^S, 2St, 2St-J^S, 3St, 4J, 4St, 5St, 5J.St, 6J^S.J, and 7J^S. Above all, the stable wheat-Th. intermedium small segmental translocation lines with chromosomes 4DS.4DL-4StL-4DL-4JL and 4DS.4DL-4StL-4DL were selected. Combining data from specific marker amplification and resistance evaluation, we mapped the gene(s) for resistance to powdery mildew and stripe rust in the 233.56–329.88 Mb region of the long arm of the 4St chromosome from the reference Th. intermedium genome. The new wheat-Th. intermedium introgressions will be used as novel germplasm for breeding purposes. Full article

Thinopyrum intermedium (2n = 6x = 42, E^eE^eE^bE^bStSt or JJJ^sJ^sStSt) contains a large number of genes that are highly adaptable to the environment and immune to a variety of wheat diseases, such as powdery mildew, rust, and yellow dwarf, making it an important gene source for the genetic improvement of common wheat. Currently, an important issue plaguing wheat production and breeding is the spread of pests and illnesses. Breeding disease-resistant wheat varieties using disease-resistant genes is currently the most effective measure to solve this problem. Moreover, alien resistance genes often have a stronger disease-resistant effect than the resistance genes found in common wheat. In this study, the wheat-Th. intermedium partial amphiploid line 92048 was developed through hybridization between Th. intermedium and common wheat. The chromosome structure and composition of 92048 were analyzed using ND-FISH and molecular marker analysis. The results showed that the chromosome composition of 92048 (Octoploid Trititrigia) was 56 = 42W + 6J + 4J^s + 4St. In addition, we found that 92048 was highly resistant to a mixture of stripe rust races (CYR32, CYR33, and CYR34) during the seedling stage and fusarium head blight (FHB) in the field during the adult plant stage, suggesting that the alien or wheat chromosomes in 92048 had disease-resistant gene(s) to stripe rust and FHB. There is a high probability that the gene(s) for resistance to stripe rust and FHB are from the alien chromosomes. Therefore, 92048 shows promise as a bridge material for transferring superior genes from Th. intermedium to common wheat and improving disease resistance in common wheat. Full article

Tritordeum is an amphiploides species resulting from the hybridization between durum wheat (T. durum) and wild barley (H. chilense). This new cereal is considered a natural crop as it is obtained by traditional breeding techniques. Given its appreciable organoleptic characteristics, agronomic features, presence of interesting components, and good technological properties, Tritordeum is of promising interest for the development of health-oriented foods. In this study, we evaluated two registered Tritordeum cultivars, Bulel and Aucan. T. durum (Provenzal) was employed as the positive control. The extracted proteins were digested by gastric/pancreatic proteases, and their biological effects on Caco-2 differentiated on transwell inserts were determined. Changes in cell viability, monolayer permeability, organization of F-actin microfilaments, and ER stress triggered by protein-digested samples (DPs) were inspected. Our results showed that exposure to Provenzal-DPs promptly disrupted the tight junction barrier. Conversely, Aucan-DPs did not enhance monolayer permeability, whereas Bulel-DPs exerted only slight effects. Provental-DPs-induced toxicity was also confirmed by changes in cell viability and by the deep reorganization of the enterocyte cytoskeleton. In contrast, Aucan-DPs and Bulel-DPs did not affect monolayer viability and cytoskeleton structure. Overall, our findings suggest that both Tritordeum cultivars could be potential candidates for mitigating the toxicity of wheat flour. Full article

The transition from annual to perennial growth habits can contribute to increased sustainability and diversification of staple cropping systems like those based on annual wheat. Amphiploids between Triticum aestivum and Thinopyrum spp. can present a wheat-like morphology and post sexual cycle regrowth. The complex and unpredictable nature of the chromosomal rearrangements typical of inter-generic hybrids can hamper progress in the development of this new crop. By using fluorescence in situ hybridization, we described the genomic constitution of three perennial wheat breeding lines that regrew and completed a second year of production in field conditions in Washington state (USA). Two breeding lines presented stable, 56-chromosome partial amphiploids; however, their chromosome composition differed significantly. The third breeding line presented an unstable karyotype with a chromosome number ranging from 53 to 58 across eight individuals. The agronomic performance of the perennial breeding lines was evaluated for two growing seasons from 2020 to 2022. The grain yields of the perennial lines were lower than the grain production of the annual wheat control line in the first season. The perennial lines displayed vigorous regrowth after the initial harvest; however, worsening environmental conditions in the second season of growth hampered subsequent growth and grain yield. This information facilitates the breeding work necessary to improve key traits by grouping agronomically valuable individuals according to their genomic constitution. Full article

Primary Trans Chromosomal Tritipyrum (PTCT) amphiploid is a new cereal grown in saline soil and brackish water for grain and forage production. We evaluated the tolerance to seed deterioration in 13 promising PTCT lines, assessing accelerated aging (AA) tests by using AA boxes with 100% relative humidity at 40 °C for 72 h. The (Ma/b)(Cr/b)F4 and (St/b)(Cr/b)F4) PTCT lines, more sensitive to seed aging, were primed with NaCl, Salicylic Acid (SA), and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) to increase the seed vigor of artificially aged seeds. Germination and emergence traits, biochemical parameters, and chromosomal abnormalities induced by artificial aging were measured in deteriorated and not-deteriorated seeds. The highest reduction percentages related to seed vigor were observed in (Ka/b)(Cr/b)F2 (34.52) and La(4B,4D)/b (28.15) lines, while the lowest was found in (Ma/b)(Cr/b)F4 (7.65) and (St/b)(Cr/b)F4 (7.46) lines. Seed aging also increases electrolytes, potassium, and protein leakages. Chromosomal abnormalities are caused by seed aging that interferes with chromosome behaviors during cell division. Seed priming on aged seeds revealed an increase in the germination percentage (GP) with PEG treatment, while the priming by SA showed an increase in seedling traits, such as the seedling length (SL2). In conclusion, we highlighted the potential use of different PTCT lines and the effective use of seed priming on deteriorated seed to enhance seed viability and seedling vigor as a useful tool for sustainable agriculture. Full article

Among cereals, triticale (×Trititcoseale Wittmack ex A. Camus) represents a number of advantages such as high grain yield even in marginal environments, tolerance to drought, cold and acid soils, as well as lower production costs. Together with high biomass of grain and straw, triticale is also considered as an industrial energy crop. As an artificial hybrid, it has not evolved naturally, which is reflected in narrow genetic diversity causing a resistance collapse in recent years. Here, we describe a novel, synthetic tetraploid triticale, which was developed by the crossing of rye (Secale cereale L.) with einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum spp. monococcum), which possess Sr35 stem rust resistance gene. Three subsequent generations of alloploids were obtained by chromosome doubling followed by self-pollination. The cytogenetic analyses revealed that the amphiploids possess a set of 28 chromosomes (14 of Am-genome and 14 of R-genome). The values of the most important yield-shaping traits for these tetraploid triticale form, including thousand-grain weight, plant height and stem length were higher compared to parental genotypes, as well as standard hexaploid triticale cultivars. This study shows that this tetraploid triticale genetic stock can be an interesting pre-breeding germplasm for triticale improvement or can be developed as a new alternative crop. Full article

Thinopyrum intermedium possesses many desirable agronomic traits that make it a valuable genetic source for wheat improvement. The precise identification of individual chromosomes of allohexaploid Th. intermedium is a challenge due to its three sub-genomic constitutions with complex evolutionary ancestries. The non-denaturing fluorescent in situ hybridization (ND-FISH) using tandem-repeat oligos, including Oligo-B11 and Oligo-pDb12H, effectively distinguished the St, J and J^S genomes, while Oligo-FISH painting, based on seven oligonucleotide pools derived from collinear regions between barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), was able to identify each linkage group of the Th. intermedium chromosomes. We subsequently established the first karyotype of Th. intermedium with individual chromosome recognition using sequential ND-FISH and Oligo-FISH painting. The chromosome constitutions of 14 wheat–Th. intermedium partial amphiploids and addition lines were characterized. Distinct intergenomic chromosome rearrangements were revealed among Th. intermedium chromosomes in these amphiploids and addition lines. The precisely defined karyotypes of these wheat–Th. intermedium derived lines may be helpful for further study on chromosome evolution, chromatin introgression and wheat breeding programs. Full article

Waterlogging, causing hypoxia stress and nitrogen depletion in the rhizosphere, has been an increasing threat to wheat production. We developed a wheat–sea wheatgrass (SWG) amphiploid showing superior tolerance to waterlogging and low nitrogen. Validated in deoxygenated agar medium for three weeks, hypoxia stress reduced the dry matter of the wheat parent by 40% but had little effect on the growth of the amphiploid. To understand the underlying mechanisms, we comparatively analyzed the wheat–SWG amphiploid and its wheat parent grown in aerated and hypoxic solutions for physiological traits and root transcriptomes. Compared with its wheat parent, the amphiploid showed less magnitude in forming root porosity and barrier to radial oxygen loss, two important mechanisms for internal O₂ movement to the apex, and downregulation of genes for ethylene, lignin, and reactive oxygen species. In another aspect, however, hypoxia stress upregulated the nitrate assimilation/reduction pathway in amphiploid and induced accumulation of nitric oxide, a byproduct of nitrate reduction, in its root tips, and the amphiploid maintained much higher metabolic activity in its root system compared with its wheat parent. Taken together, our research suggested that enhanced nitrate assimilation and reduction and accumulation of nitric oxide play important roles in the SWG-derived waterlogging tolerance. Full article

Hexaploid tritordeum is the amphiploid derived from the cross between the wild barley Hordeum chilense and durum wheat. This paper reviews the main advances and achievements in the last two decades that led to the successful development of tritordeum as a new crop. In particular, we summarize the progress in breeding for agronomic performance, including the potential of tritordeum as a genetic bridge for wheat breeding; the impact of molecular markers in genetic studies and breeding; and the progress in quality and development of innovative food products. The success of tritordeum as a crop shows the importance of the effective utilization of plant genetic resources for the development of new innovative products for agriculture and industry. Considering that wild plant genetic resources have made possible the development of this new crop, the huge potential of more accessible resources, such as landraces conserved in gene banks, goes beyond being sources of resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In addition, the positive result of tritordeum also shows the importance of adequate commercialization strategies and demonstrative experiences aimed to integrate the whole food chain, from producers to end-point sellers, in order to develop new products for consumers. Full article

Polyploidization, or whole genome duplication (WGD), has an important role in evolution and speciation. One of the biggest challenges faced by a new polyploid is meiosis, in particular, discriminating between multiple related chromosomes so that only homologs recombine to ensure regular chromosome segregation and fertility. Here, we report the production of two new hybrids formed by the genomes of species from three different genera: a hybrid between Aegilops tauschii (DD), Hordeum chilense (H^chH^ch), and Secale cereale (RR) with the haploid genomic constitution H^chDR (n = 7× = 21); and a hybrid between Triticum turgidum spp. durum (AABB), H. chilense, and S. cereale with the constitution ABH^chR (n = 7× = 28). We used genomic in situ hybridization and immunolocalization of key meiotic proteins to establish the chromosome composition of the new hybrids and to study their meiotic behavior. Interestingly, there were multiple chromosome associations at metaphase I in both hybrids. A high level of crossover (CO) formation was observed in H^chDR, which shows the possibility of meiotic recombination between the different genomes. We succeeded in the duplication of the ABH^chR genome, and several amphiploids, AABBH^chH^chRR, were obtained and characterized. These results indicate that recombination between the genera of three economically important crops is possible. Full article

Polyploidization, or whole genome duplication (WGD), has an important role in evolution and speciation. One of the biggest challenges faced by a new polyploid is meiosis, particularly, discriminating between multiple related chromosomes, so that only homologs recombine, to ensure regular chromosome segregation and fertility. Here, we report the production of two new hybrids that are formed by the genomes of species from three different genera, as follows: a hybrid between Aegilops taushii (DD), Hordeum chilense (H^chH^ch), and Secale cereale (RR), with the haploid genomic constitution DH^chR (n = 7x = 21); and a hybrid between Triticum turgidum spp. durum (AABB), H. chilense, and S. cereale, with the constitution ABH^chR (n = 7x = 28). We used genomic in situ hybridization to establish the chromosome composition of the new hybrids, and to study their meiotic behavior. Interestingly, there were multiple chromosome associations at metaphase I in both hybrids, indicating the presence of a crossover formation between the different genomes. We tried to duplicate the genome of both hybrids, to obtain the corresponding amphiploid, achieving success with the ABH^chR hybrid. Several amphiploids AABBH^chH^chRR were obtained and characterized. These results indicate that recombination between the genera of three economically important crops is possible. Full article

Alien chromosome introgressions can be used to introduce beneficial traits from one species into another. However, exploitation of the introgressions in breeding requires proper transmission of introgressed segments to consecutive generations. In xFestulolium hybrids chromosomes of Festuca and Lolium readily pair and recombine. This opens a way for introgression of traits (e.g., abiotic and biotic stress resistance) from Festuca into elite Lolium cultivars. However, retention of Festuca chromatin in xFestulolium is uncertain as several studies indicated its gradual elimination over generations of sexual reproduction. Here we investigated genome composition in two subsequent generations of four introgression xFestulolium (F. pratensis × L. multiflorum) cultivars using genomic in situ hybridization. We observed about 27–32% elimination of Festuca chromatin in a single round of multiplication. At this pace, Festuca chromatin would be completely eliminated in about four generations of seed multiplication. On the other hand, we observed that it is possible to increase the proportion of Festuca chromatin in the cultivars by proper selection of mating plants. Nevertheless, once selection is relaxed, the first round of the seed multiplication reverts the genome composition back to the Lolium type. Thus, it seems that amphiploid forms of xFestulolium with relatively stable hybrid genomes may be more promising material for future breeding than introgression lines. Full article

The wild species, Thinopyrum intermedium. (Genome StStJ^SJ^SJJ), serves as a valuable germplasm resource providing novel genes for wheat improvement. In the current study, non-denaturing fluorescence in situ hybridization (ND-FISH) with multiple probes and comparative molecular markers were applied to characterize two wheat-Th. intermedium chromosome additions. Sequential ND-FISH with new labeled Th. intermedium specific oligo-probes were used to precisely determine the chromosomal constitution of Th. intermedium, wheat—Th. intermedium partial amphiploids and addition lines Hy36 and Hy37. The ND-FISH results showed that the added J^S-St translocated chromosomes in Hy36 had minor Oligo-5S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) signals at the short arm, while a pair of J-St chromosomes in Hy37 had major Oligo-pTa71 and minor Oligo-5S rDNA signals. The 90K SNP array and PCR-based molecular markers that mapped on wheat linkage group 5 and 3 facilitated the identification of Thinopyrum chromosome introgressions in the addition lines, and confirmed that added chromosomes in Hy36 and Hy37 were 5J^SS.3StS and 5JS.3StS, respectively. Complete coding sequences at the paralogous puroindoline-a (Pina) loci from Th. intermedium were cloned and localized on the short arm of chromosome 5J^S of Hy36. Line Hy36 showed a reduction in the hardness index, which suggested that Th. intermedium-specific Pina gene sequences may be associated with the softness trait in wheat background. The molecular cytogenetic identification of novel wheat—Th. intermedium derivatives indicated that the frequent chromosome rearrangement occurred in the progenies of wheat-Thinopyrum hybridization. The new wheat-Thinopyrum derived lines may increase the genetic diversity for wheat breeding. Full article

A novel Dasypyrum species, Dasypyrum breviaristatum, serves as a valuable source of useful genes for wheat improvement. The development and characterization of new wheat—D. breviaristatum introgression lines is important to determine the novel gene(s) on specific chromosome(s). We first used multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to identify the individual D. breviaristatum V^b chromosomes in a common wheat—D. breviaristatum partial amphiploid, TDH-2. The FISH patterns of D. breviaristatum chromosomes were different from those of D. villosum chromosomes. Lines D2146 and D2150 were selected from a cross between wheat line MY11 and wheat—D. breviaristatum partial amphiploid TDH-2, and they were characterized by FISH and PCR-based molecular markers. We found that D2150 was a monosomic addition line for chromosome 5V^b of D. breviaristatum, while D2146 had the 5V^bL chromosome arm translocated with wheat chromosome 5AS. Molecular marker analysis confirmed that the introduced D. breviaristatum chromosome 5V^bL translocation possessed a duplicated region homoeologous to 5AS, revealing that the 5AS.5V^bL translocation may not functionally compensate well. The dwarfing and the pre-harvest re-growth habits observed in the wheat—D. breviaristatum chromosome 5V^b derivatives may be useful for future development of perennial growth wheat lines. Full article