Journal Article

Introgression of Novel Traits from a Wild Wheat Relative Improves Drought Adaptation in Wheat

Placido, Dante F., Kruger, Greg R., Baenziger, P. Stephen, Folsom, Jing J., Walia, Harkamal, Cui, Xinping, Campbell, Malachy T.

2013

Overview

Root architecture traits are an important component for improving water stress adaptation. However, selection for aboveground traits under favorable environments in modern cultivars may have led to an inadvertent loss of genes and novel alleles beneficial for adapting to environments with limited water. In this study, we elucidate the physiological and molecular consequences of introgressing an alien chromosome segment (7DL) from a wild wheat relative species (Agropyron elongatum) into cultivated wheat (Triticum aestivum). The wheat translocation line had improved water stress adaptation and higher root and shoot biomass compared with the control genotypes, which showed significant drops in root and shoot biomass during stress. Enhanced access to water due to higher root biomass enabled the translocation line to maintain more favorable gas-exchange and carbon assimilation levels relative to the wild-type wheat genotypes during water stress. Transcriptome analysis identified candidate genes associated with root development. Two of these candidate genes mapped to the site of translocation on chromosome 7DL based on single-feature polymorphism analysis. A brassinosteroid signaling pathway was predicted to be involved in the novel root responses observed in the A. elongatum translocation line, based on the coexpression-based gene network generated by seeding the network with the candidate genes. We present an effective and highly integrated approach that combines root phenotyping, whole-plant physiology, and functional genomics to discover novel root traits and the underlying genes from a wild related species to improve drought adaptation in cultivated wheat.

• Publisher: American Society of Plant Biologists
• Subject: Adaptation, Physiological - genetics / Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions / Agropyron - drug effects / Agropyron - genetics / Biological and medical sciences / Biomass / Brachypodium - drug effects / Brachypodium - genetics / Brassinosteroids - pharmacology / Carbon Dioxide - metabolism / Chromosome Mapping / Chromosomes / Chromosomes, Plant - genetics / Dehydration / drought / Droughts / ECOPHYSIOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - drug effects / Gene Regulatory Networks - genetics / Genes / Genes, Plant - genetics / Genetics and breeding of economic plants / Genomes / Genotype / Genotypes / Inbreeding / Interspecific and intergeneric hybridization, introgressions / introgression / Phenotype / Phenotypic traits / Photosynthesis - drug effects / Plant breeding: fundamental aspects and methodology / Plant physiology and development / Plant roots / Plant Roots - anatomy & histology / Plant Roots - drug effects / Plant Roots - genetics / Plant Roots - growth & development / Plant Shoots - anatomy & histology / Plant Shoots - drug effects / Plant Shoots - growth & development / Plant Stomata - drug effects / Plant Stomata - physiology / Plants / Plants, Genetically Modified / Polymorphism, Genetic / Quantitative Trait, Heritable / Rice / Seedlings - drug effects / Seedlings - physiology / Synteny - genetics / Thinopyrum elongatum / Triticum - drug effects / Triticum - genetics / Triticum - physiology / Triticum aestivum / Water / Wheat