Dharam Pal

'HS628'-A Potential Genetic Stock for Resistance to New Virulent Pathotypes of Black, Brown and Yellow Rusts of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Three rusts of wheat viz., leaf / brown (Puccinia recondita sp. tritici), stripe / yellow (Puccinia striiformis sp tritici), stem / black (Puccinia graminis sp. tritici) are very devastating diseases causing huge losses to the wheat crop worldwide with India no exception. The 1BL.1RS translocation derived wheat varieties carrying Yr9/Lr26/Sr31/Pm8 gene complex provided protection against losses due to leaf and stripe rusts in India till 1995. However, the evolution of pathotype (pt) 46S119 virulent to Yr9 and Yr2 resistance genes has changed the whole scenario (Nayar et al., 1996). After breakdown of Yr9 based resistance, some protection against stripe rust was rendered by “Attila” germplasm derived wheat varieties that had Yr27 effective against pt. 46S119, was succumbed with new variant 78S84 (Prashar et al., 2007). Recently five new highly virulent pathotypes of stripe rust viz., 46S117, 110S119, 238S119, 110S247 and 110S84 have been identified in India (Gangwar et al., 2015). Due to emergence of these pathotypes , Yr12 became susceptible to pts. 110S84, 110S119, 110S247 and 238S119. Joss-Cambier carrying Yr11 gene, also became susceptible to the new pts. 110S84 and 238S119 in addition to 46S119 pathotype (Bhardwaj et al. Pers. Comm). Another gene Yr14 is also defeated by the new virulent pt. 110S119.

Central Wheat Hs562'-A High Yielding Wheat Variety for Timely Sown Production Conditions of Northern Hill Zone

Dharam Pal1*, Madhu Patial1, KV Prabhu2, J Kumar1,7, Santosh Watpade1, RN Yadav3, Sanjay Kumar2, RK Sharma2, GP Singh2,8, Rajbir Yadav2, Vinod2, Anju M Singh2, SV Sai Prasad4, IS Solanki6,9, M Sivasamy5, JB Sharma2, PK Singh2, Neelu Jain2, Niharika Mallik2, Kiran Gaikwad2, Tapas Ranjan Das6, Vikas5, Jaya Prakash5, JB Singh2, Divya Ambati4, Vaibhav Singh2, AN Mishra4, Shivadhar2 and Ajay Arora2 1ICAR-IARI, Regional Station, Shimla, India 2ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India 3ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Karnal, India 4ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Indore, India 5ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station,Wellington, India 6ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station,Pusa, India 7ICAR-NIBSM, Raipur, India 8ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, India 9ICAR-Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi

Doubled Haploidy Techniques in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): An Overview

Wheat crop has a critical role in current food system and also in the future global food security. Global wheat demand in 2010 reached 666 million metric tons (MMT). If the demand growth rate remains constant, it has been predicted that the global wheat consumption would surpass 880 MMT by 2050. Fulfilling this demand needs new and more efficient wheat breeding methodologies. Conventional breeding has led to the development of number of varieties, but with the changing climatic regime accompanied with fast and continuous changing nature of biotic and abiotic stresses there is an urgent need to fasten the breeding methods. Hence, biotechnological tool like DH becomes an important weapon. The production of haploid plants from hybrids, followed by chromosome doubling will provide wheat breeder with a mean to accelerate the development of true breeding lines. Doubled haploid (DH) populations have lot of applications in plant breeding like cultivar and germplasm development, transferring traits from wild types, studying components of quantitative genetics and whole genome mapping. Among different DH production techniques, anther culture and Hordeum bulbosum have stronger genotypic specificity whereby, wide hybridization comes up with a solution. Amongst various wide hybridization techniques, DH production via Imperata cylindrica has been found to be the most economical and efficient. The genotypic nonspecific production lacks somaclonal variation and albino plants development alongwith having higher regeneration rate coupled with lower cost. Thus, integration of I. cylindrica mediated DH system with conventional breeding will be instrumental for future wheat breeding programmes.

Exploration of wild grass Imperata cylindrica for development of doubled haploids in winter x spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) hybrids accompanied with combining ability and hybrid potential estimation

Two spring and three winter wheat genotypes were crossed in Line x Tester manner forming six F1’s and three spring and one winter wheat genotypes were also crossed forming two three way F1’s. Combining ability studies indicated sufficient genetic variability in the breeding material. Among lines, HS542 showed good general combining ability for seed yield/plant and among testers KLE/BER/2*FL-8/DONSK-POLL was good combiner for 1000 seed weight. The cross HS542/Zander33 and HD2997/KLE/BER/2*FL-8/DONSK-POLL showed significant specific combining ability effects for 1000 grain weight. Intergeneric hybridization lead to the haploid embryo development from the crosses: HS542/China 84–40022, HS542/KLE/BER/2*FL-8/DONSK-POLL, HS526/ID 80994W/VEE/3/CHEN/3AL X FLW13 and HD2997/KLE/BER/2*FL-8/DONSK-POLL. These crosses also showed maximum values of heterosis for 1000 seed weight or spikelet per spike or seed yield/plant.

Molecular marker assisted back cross breeding for effective transfer of Lr19 in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The gene Lr19, derived from Agropyron elongatum provides effective resistance against leaf rust in Northern India. To develop improved wheat lines in the background of HS240, HS295, rust resistance from FLW20 possessing Lr19 was involved to generate back cross populations and confirm resistance through host-pathogen interaction and molecular marker. The SCAR marker SCS265512 was used to validate Lr19 in back cross plants transferred from FLW20. Results of HPI test and molecular marker assisted validation for Lr19 showed 88–93 percent consistency, indicating that both the techniques are mutual exclusive for effective selection of Lr19. Fixed gene populations are now ready for station trials.