Abdul Jabbar Khan

Haploidy breeding and mutagenesis for drought tolerance in wheat

Several intraspecific crosses between known drought tolerant wheat varieties and stable high yielding recombinants were made with the objective to develop improved cultivars for the moisture stressed rainfed areas of Pakistan. Five of these crosses were selected for further creation of useful mutations through the application of low doses of gamma rays and development of doubled haploids through anther culture. Anther culture response of the selected irradiated F1 generations was studied on liquid and solid induction media. The highest number of calli among almost all crosses was produced on Potato-2induction medium. All the crosses varied greatly in response to callus induction and maximum calli (75%) were obtained from Lyl-73/vee’s’ cross. Similarly, genotypic differences were found for green vs. albino regenerants. The highest number of green plantlets (12.1%) was recorded for Lu-26/3062. From the developed doubled haploid population 25 DH-mutants were initially selected and nine lines were finally included in multi-locational field tests. Two DH-mutants (i.e. DHML-50 and DHML-9) have potential for better grain yield, earliness, disease resistance and moisture stress tolerance.

Genetic control of flag leaf area in wheat (Triticum aestivum) crosses

The results indicated that the trait was mostly under control of one major gene in combination with polygenes (model D-2) for the two crosses during the first year. However, it was controlled by mixed epistasis of two major genes plus polygenes (model E-1) in cross 2 during the second year. Transgressive segregate on both upper and lower extremity of the trait in B 1, B2 and F 2 indicated the presence of both favorable and reversed genes in the parents. Higher major gene heritability (9.6 to 71.0) for the trait was recorded than the polygenes heritability (4.8 to 38.9) in the segregating generations (B 1, B 2 and F 2). Moderate to high environmental variations (14.4 to 85.0) in the trait for segregating generations revealed that FLA is influenced by the environmental fluctuations. Predominant additive effect over all other types of genetic effects suggests the delay in selection for FLA until maximum favorable genes are accumulated in the individuals.

Selection of parents for crossing based on genotyping and phenotyping for stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) resistance and agronomic traits in bread wheat breeding.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germplasm consisting of 45 genotypes were clustered phenotypically using ten morphological traits and Area Under Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC) as measure of stripe rust resistance. The clustering was ratified by using twenty three molecular markers (SSR, EST and STS) linked to stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) resistant QTLs. The aim was to asses the extent of genetic variability among the genotypes in order to select the parents for crossing between the resistant and susceptible genotypes with respect to stripe rust. The Euclidian dissimilarity values resulted from phenotypic data regarding morphological traits and AUDPC were used to construct a dendrogram for clustering the accessions. Using un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic means, another dendrogram resulted from the similarity coefficient values was used to distinguish the genotypes with respect to stripe rust. Clustering based on phenotypic data produced two major groups and five clusters (with Euclidian dissimilarity ranging from 2.44 to 16.16) whereas genotypic data yielded two major groups and four clusters (with percent similarity coefficient values ranging from 0.1 to 46.0) to separate the gene pool into highly resistant, resistant, moderately resistant, moderately susceptible and susceptible genotypes. With few exceptions, the outcome of both type of clustering was almost similar and resistant as well as susceptible genotypes came in the same clusters of molecular genotyping as yielded by phenotypic clustering. As a result seven genotypes (Bakhtawar-92, Frontana, Saleem 2000, Tatara, Inqilab-91, Fakhre Sarhad and Karwan) of diverse genetic background were selected for pyramiding stripe rust lesistant genes as well as some other agronomic traits after hybridization.

Strategic crossing of biomass and harvest index—source and sink—achieves genetic gains in wheat

To accelerate genetic gains in breeding, physiological trait (PT) characterization of candidate parents can help make more strategic crosses, increasing the probability of accumulating favorable alleles compared to crossing relatively uncharacterized lines. In this study, crosses were designed to complement “source” with “sink” traits, where at least one parent was selected for favorable expression of biomass and/or radiation use efficiency—source—and the other for sink-related traits like harvest-index, kernel weight and grains per spike. Female parents were selected from among genetic resources—including landraces and products of wide-crossing (i.e. synthetic wheat)—that had been evaluated in Mexico at high yield potential or under heat stress, while elite lines were used as males. Progeny of crosses were advanced to the F4 generation within Mexico, and F4-derived F5 and F6 generations were yield tested to populate four international nurseries, targeted to high yield environments (2nd and 3rd WYCYT) for yield potential, and heat stressed environments (2nd and 4th SATYN) for climate resilience, respectively. Each nursery was grown as multi-location yield trials. Genetic gains were achieved in both temperate and hot environments, with most new PT-derived lines expressing superior yield and biomass compared to local checks at almost all international sites. Furthermore, the tendency across all four nurseries indicated either the superiority of the best new PT lines compared with the CIMMYT elite checks, or the superiority of all new PT lines as a group compared with all checks, and in some cases, both. Results support—in a realistic breeding context—the hypothesis that yield and radiation use efficiency can be increased by improving source:sink balance, and validate the feasibility of incorporating exotic germplasm into mainstream breeding efforts to accelerate genetic gains for yield potential and climate resilience.

Correction to: Strategic crossing of biomass and harvest index—source and sink—achieves genetic gains in wheat

The original article was corrected. Author Muhammad Kundi should instead read: Muhammad Sohail.