Assessing the correlations and selection criteria between different traits in wheat salt-tolerant genotypes

Abstract

Salinity is one of the largest stresses blocking horizontal and vertical expansion in agricultural lands. Establishing salt-tolerant genotypes is a promising method to benefit from poor water quality and salinized lands. An integrated method was developed for accomplishing reliable and effective evaluation of traits stability of salt-tolerant wheat. The study aims were to estimate the genetic relationships between explanatory traits and shoot dry matter (SDM), and determine the traits stability under three salinity levels. Morphophysiological and biochemical traits were evaluated as selection criteria for SDM improvement in wheat for salinity tolerance. Three cultivars and three high-yielding doubled haploid lines (DHLs) were used. Three salt (NaCl) levels (control (washed sand), 7 and 14 dS m −1 ) were applied for 45 days (at the first signs of death in the sensitive genotypes). All morphophysiological traits gradually decreased as salinity levels increased, excluding the number of roots. Decreases were more visible in sensitive genotypes than in tolerant genotypes. All biochemical traits increased as salinity levels increased. Variance inflation factors (VIFs) and condition number exhibited multicollinearity for membrane stability index and polyphenol oxidase activity. After their removal, all VIFs were <10, thereby increasing path coefficient accuracy. Total chlorophyll content (CHL) and catalase (CAT) provided significant direct effects regarding genetic and phenotypic correlations for the three salinity levels and their interactions in path analysis on SDM, indicating their stability. CHL and CAT had high heritability (>0.60%) and genetic gain (>20%) and highly significant genetic correlation, co-heritability, and selection efficiencies for SDM. CHL and CAT could be used as selection criteria for salinity tolerance in wheat-breeding programs. The tolerated line (DHL21) with the check cultivar (Sakha 93) can be also recommended as novel genetic resource for improving salinity tolerance of wheat.

Characterization of Bread Wheat Segregating Populations Under Optimum Irrigation and Water Stress Conditions

“…Breeding strategies for drought consist of many segregating wheat crosses to derive new pure lines, which are evaluated and compared with commercial cultivars for high yield and tolerance to biotic and/or abiotic stresses (Al-Ashkar et al, 2021). Morphological and physiological plant characters can significantly influence the productivity of wheat yield in direct and indirect pathways.…”

“…Morphological and physiological plant characters can significantly influence the productivity of wheat yield in direct and indirect pathways. Productivity is affected by environmental fluctuations when there are a high genetic environment interaction and low heritability that make the selection of genotypes more difficult (Sallam et al, 2019;Mansour et al, 2020;Al-Ashkar et al, 2021).…”

“…Stability analysis studies revealed a differential response of wheat genotypes to various drought stress environments, and significant differences found among the bread wheat genotypes for yield components (Ali, 2017;Putri et al, 2020;Al-Ashkar et al, 2021). These studies reported the significance of genetic relationships, such as, selection efficiencies, genetic gain, heritability and coheritability for evaluating trait stability under stress levels and their interactions.…”

The Biological Traumatization of Crops Due to the Enzyme Stage of Enzyme-Mycotic Seed Depletion

“…The use of genetic approaches allows for the development of wheat varieties that are tolerant to abiotic (i.e., frost and drought) and biotic stress (, i.e., pathogens), in order to reduce the stress impact on wheat growth and yield [ 22 ]. In fact, appropriate selection criteria enable breeders to use the genetic variation for enhancing stress tolerance in crops [ 23 ]. The objective of the present study is to investigate the gene pool of winter wheat from the world collection from the N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Resources (VIR) to detect the signs of grain traumatization in standing crops and, to select resistant genotypes to produce the winter wheat varieties with group immunity to EMSD.…”

The Evaluation of Winter Wheat Adaptation to Climate Change in the Central Non-Black Region of Russia: Study of the Gene Pool Resistance of Wheat from the N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) World Collection to Abiotic Stress Factors

“…The use of genetic approaches allows the development of wheat varieties that are tolerant to abiotic stress (i.e., frost and drought) in order to reduce the stress impact on wheat growth and yield [9]. In fact, appropriate selection criteria enable breeders to use the genetic variation for enhancing stress tolerance in crops [10].…”