Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXI
Written by Steliana Paula BARBU, Gabriela ŞERBAN, Călina Petruţa CORNEA, Aurel GIURA

Most of the modern wheat cultivars carry GA (gibberellic acid) insensitive height reducing gene, Rht-B1b, that reduces stem elongation but improves yield potential, lodging resistance and increased harvest index. Recent cultivars released in Romania are semi-dwarf, carrying the Rht-B1b allele which confers an advantage in excessive temperate environmental conditions. However, such cultivars are characterized as having short coleoptile that influences stand establishment and seedling vigor, especially in dry autumns. Genotypes carrying Rht gene-alleles can contribute to increasing coleoptile length, and having semi-dwarf characteristics can be used as sources in advanced breeding programs. A set of 86 mutant/recombinant wheat doubled haploid (DH) lines, was obtained through a complex protocol including two genotypes, two irradiation cycles with gamma rays (200Gy, 100Gy), direct and reciprocal hybridization, rapidly homozygosity attained by using Zea system. This study was aiming to explore the genetic variability for the coleoptile length and plant height, produced by mutagenesis and recombination, in the selected 86 mutant/recombinant DH lines, and compared to the parents. The analyses performed in this study, reveal that are lines which registered a longer coleoptile than parents, and also one line was highlighted for a semi-dwarf stature and a long coleoptile, that can be used in wheat breeding programs.

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