Quo vadis wheat breeding: a case study in Central Europe

• Published in: Euphytica Vol. 216; no. 9
• Main Authors: Leišová-Svobodová, L., Chrpová, J., Hermuth, J., Dotlačil, L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-09-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Airborne microorganisms; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Bread; Domestication; Genetic analysis; Genetic diversity; Genotypes; High resistance; Life Sciences; Lodging; Phenotypes; Plant breeding; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Population genetics; Population structure; Powdery mildew; Triticum aestivum; Wheat; Central Europe; Wheat breeding; Genetic diversity; Phenotype traits; Wheat varieties and landraces
• DOI: 10.1007/s10681-020-02670-2
• EISSN: 1573-5060
• ISSN: 0014-2336

Bread wheat (
Triticum aestivum
) is one of the most important crop species. It has been further developed since its initial domestication, with significant acceleration of wheat breeding within the last 100 years. In this study, a set of 355 wheat accessions were selected to document the history of bread wheat breeding in Central Europe. Although six periods of breeding were assumed, a notable turning point was identified between periods 3 and 4 around the year 1970 based on phenotype and genotype data, dividing the more than 100 years of bread wheat breeding into only two periods. While the first period corresponded to the use of landraces and genetically diverse varieties for breeding, the second period was typically characterized by reliance on relatively few varieties, leading to modern varieties with very good yields and high resistance to lodging and powdery mildew. A drawback of these breeding programmes was a substantial reduction in genetic diversity. The analysis of population structure showed that genetic diversity is influenced more by pedigree than by the period of breeding. In total, five genetic populations were identified, corresponding (especially within the last 50 years) to the leading genotypes used in breeding programmes: Bankuti 1205, Mironovskaja 808 and Moisson. A high level of correlation was found between the genotype and phenotype data (R = 0.91;
p
 < 0.01). The results of this study indicated the need to broaden the genetic diversity of bread wheat by including landraces and possibly wild relatives of crops in new breeding or prebreeding programmes.