Genome‐wide association study of agronomic and quality traits in a world collection of the wild wheat relative Triticum urartu

Abstract

SummaryTriticum urartu (2n = 2x = 14, subgenome AuAu), a wild diploid wheat progenitor, features broad allelic diversity for a number of traits of agronomic relevance. A thorough characterization of the diversity of T. urartu natural accessions may provide wheat breeders with new alleles potentially contributing to wheat improvement. In this study, we performed an extensive genotypic and phenotypic characterization of a world collection of 299 T. urartu ex situ accessions, developing 441 327 single nucleotide polymorphisms and recording trait values for agronomic and quality traits. The collection was highly diverse, with broad variation in phenology and plant architecture traits. Seed features were also varied, and analyses of flour quality reported 18 distinct patterns of glutenins, and carotenoid concentrations and sedimentation volumes in some cases surpassing those of cultivated materials. The genome‐wide molecular markers developed on the collection were used to conduct a genome‐wide association study reporting 25 highly significant quantitative trait nucleotides for the traits under examination, only partially overlapping loci already reported in wheat. Our data show that T. urartu may be considered a valuable allele pool to support the improvement of wheat agronomy and quality.

Appraising the Genetic Architecture of Kernel Traits in Hexaploid Wheat Using GWAS

“…For instance, [60] evaluated 102 Argentinean hexaploid wheat varieties using a 35K SNP array to detect ninety-seven genomic regions associated with yield-contributing traits, and further screened fifteen markers controlling the fruiting efficiency at harvest (FEh), which is an important trait to increase wheat yield. Talini et al [61] characterized a collection of 299 Triticum Urartu accessions and developed 441,327 single nucleotide polymorphisms to detect the significant loci associated with several agronomic and quality traits. Furthermore, they revealed that T. Urartu may provide an important allele pool for wheat improvement and detected 25 significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with the different traits under study.…”

QTL detection for bread wheat processing quality in a nested association mapping population of semi-wild and domesticated wheat varieties

“…The existing gene pool of cultivated wheat is relatively narrow because it is composed of current and historical wheat cultivars lacking allelic variation from landraces and wild species [ 23 , 33 ]. HMW-GS plays an important role in influencing dough processing quality and extensive studies have attempted to explore novel alleles of HMW-GS from wheat wild species as well as their potential application in breeding [ 48 – 50 ]. Recently, Talini et al showed that Triticum urartu , a wild diploid wheat, present a series of new types of HMW-GS with improved flour quality than the cultivated materials [ 48 ].…”

“…HMW-GS plays an important role in influencing dough processing quality and extensive studies have attempted to explore novel alleles of HMW-GS from wheat wild species as well as their potential application in breeding [ 48 – 50 ]. Recently, Talini et al showed that Triticum urartu , a wild diploid wheat, present a series of new types of HMW-GS with improved flour quality than the cultivated materials [ 48 ]. The wheat relatives of Aegilops umbellulata and Aegilops searsii were also shown to have novel HMW-GS alleles different from common wheat which can be important resources for improving wheat processing quality [ 49 , 50 ].…”

Crop wild relatives in durum wheat breeding: Drift or thrift?

“…Sall et al (2018a,b) tested CWR-derived lines under severe heat stress along the Senegal River to confirm their yield superiority. In particular, the capacity of CWR-derived lines of maintaining high fertility (GNspk) under severe heat was the key to tolerate constant daily temperatures above 34 • C. A further study on heat tolerance by El Hassouni et al ( 2019) identified a CWR-derived line among the top five entries evaluated under severe heat by applying a plastic tunnel at the time of flowering, which raises the maximum temperatures to up to 46 • C. Talini et al (2019) reported superior end-use quality alleles carried by wild einkorn for glutenins, carotenoid concentration, and sedimentation volumes. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the integration of CWRs into breeding will become increasingly common thanks to the recent advances in molecular technologies that ensure better efficiency and accuracy in transferring desired traits from CWR to crops (Hajjar & Hodgkin, 2007;Prohens et al, 2017).…”

“…Talini et al. (2019) reported superior end‐use quality alleles carried by wild einkorn for glutenins, carotenoid concentration, and sedimentation volumes. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the integration of CWRs into breeding will become increasingly common thanks to the recent advances in molecular technologies that ensure better efficiency and accuracy in transferring desired traits from CWR to crops (Hajjar & Hodgkin, 2007; Prohens et al., 2017).…”