The Transfer and History of “Reduced Height Genes” (Rht) in Wheat from Japan to Europe

Abstract

Wheat is the main crop and often a strategic crop in many European countries. From a historical perspective, we describe the transfer of "reduced height genes" (Rht genes) from Japanese wheat varieties to wheat varieties in Europe and their influence on the increase of the total wheat production in the last century. Historic pathways of Rht genes were influenced directly or indirectly by wheat breeders exchanging seed samples and by some governments importing large quantities of wheat during historically critical periods for their countries.

Tracking haplotype for QTLs associated with Fusarium head blight resistance in Japanese wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lineage

“…The resistant haplotypes on 6BS have been excluded from the Kyushu and the winter type of Hokkaido lineages, potentially due to an association with unfavourable agronomic or quality traits, although we could not exclude the possibility that the 'Gamenya' haplotype is resistant. With respect to chromosome 2DS, the semi-dwarfing allele of Rht8 and the photoperiod-insensitive allele of Ppd-D1 were preferably transmitted to Italian wheat cultivars in the beginning of twentieth century [34]. Closely related alleles related to agronomic traits should be taken into account as a favourable allele blocks when the FHB resistance-related QTL on 2DS is introduced.…”

“…Both the semi-dwarfing Rht8 allele and the photoperiod-insensitive Ppd-D1 allele not only cause early flowering, but also reduce plant height, resulting in increased wheat yield and a selective advantage [34]. Based on the breeding objectives in Kyushu (i.e.…”

How a Gene from Japan Revolutionized the World of Wheat: CIMMYT’s Quest for Combining Genes to Mitigate Threats to Global Food Security

“…Norin 10 began to attract international attention after a visit by Salmon SD, a renowned wheat breeder in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to Morioka Agriculture Research Station in Honshu (Borojevic and Borojevic 2005 ). Salmon took some samples of the Norin 10 variety back to the United States, which were sent on to a joint Washington State University (WSU) /USDA project at Pullman, Washington (Reitz and Salmon 1968 ).…”

Effects of Gibberellic Acid Responsive Dwarfing Gene <i>Rht9</i> on Plant Height and Agronomic Traits in Common Wheat

“…Donor of dwarfing genes Rht-B1 and Rht-D1 from Japanese origin variety Norin 10 was first introduced to United State, then to CIMMYT, where new semi-dwarf wheat varieties were developed by Norman Bourlag (1968) and then followed by other wheat breeding programs worldwide [3,4]. Dwarfing genes are classified according to their sensitivity to externally applied gibberellins (GAs) [5].…”