Phenotypic evolution in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) based on SNPs, morphological traits, UPOV descriptors and kernel-related traits

Abstract

Durum wheat is a worldwide staple crop cultivated mainly in the Mediterranean basin. Progress in durum wheat breeding requires the exploitation of genetic variation among the gene pool enclosed in landraces, old cultivars and modern cultivars. The aim of this study was to provide a more comprehensive view of the genetic architecture evolution among 123 durum wheat accessions (41 landraces, 41 old cultivars and 41 modern cultivars), grown in replicated randomized complete block in two areas, Metaponto (Basilicata) and Foggia (Apulia), using the Illumina iSelect 15K wheat SNP array and 33 plant and kernel traits including the International Union for the Protection of new Varieties of Plants (UPOV) descriptors. Through DAPC and Bayesian population structure five groups were identified according to type of material data and reflecting the genetic basis and breeding strategies involved in their development. Phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation were low for kernel width (6.43%) and for grain protein content (1.03%). Highly significant differences between environments, genotypes and GEI (Genotype x Environment Interaction) were detected by mixed ANOVAs for agro-morphological-quality traits. Number of kernels per spike (h2 = 0.02) and grain protein content (h2 = 0.03) were not a heritability character and highly influenced by the environment. Nested ANOVAs revealed highly significant differences between DAPC clusters within environments for all traits except kernel roundness. Ten UPOV traits showed significant diversity for their frequencies in the two environments. By PCAmix multivariate analysis, plant height, heading time, spike length, weight of kernels per spike, thousand kernel weight, and the seed related traits had heavy weight on the differentiation of the groups, while UPOV traits discriminated moderately or to a little extent. The data collected in this study provide useful resources to facilitate management and use of wheat genetic diversity that has been lost due to selection in the last decades.

Breeding effects on durum wheat traits detected using GWAS and haplotype block analysis

“…The list of phenotypic traits and their acronyms used afterward were reported in Table S1 . For details of the agronomic protocols of the two experiments and the phenotypic traits analysis, see Marzario et al. (2023) submitted.…”

“…The list of phenotypic traits and their acronyms used afterward were reported in Table S1. For details of the agronomic protocols of the two experiments and the phenotypic traits analysis, see Marzario et al (2023) submitted. In detail, in both locations the experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block with three replicates, in a field trial in Foggia and in a greenhouse experiment in Metaponto, respectively.…”

Performance evaluation of advanced durum wheat genotypes under irrigated condition at Bhairahawa, Nepal

“…Wheat comprises two main types: hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), characterized by genomes A, B, and D, and tetraploid durum wheat (Triticum durum), containing genomes A and B (Khalid et al, 2023). Durum wheat, an allotetraploid (2n = 4x = 28, AABB), is a crucial cereal crop primarily grown in the Mediterranean Basin, ranking second in importance after common bread wheat (Martınez-Moreno et al, 2020;Marzario et al, 2023;Nazco et al, 2012;Paux et al, 2012). It is the tenth most commonly grown cereal globally and plays a vital role in human diets, particularly in the Mediterranean region (Beres et al, 2020).…”

Determination of Heavy Metals in Root and Shoot of Durum Wheat, Plant Soil: Translocation and Bioaccumulation Factor

“…Wheat comes in a variety of species and two most often grown are hard wheat (Triticum durum or durum wheat) with high protein content and used for pasta products and soft wheat (Triticum aestivum) used for breakfast foods due to low protein content [2]. Durum wheat is a stable food and grown mainly in the Mediterranean basin supported by Italy as one of the producers [3]. Durum wheat is mostly refined into semolina powder which is used for pasta and other bakery products due to its enriched nutrients.…”