AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF THE HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Martonvásár, H-2462, Brunsvik str. 2, Hungary.
The wheat season. During a colder than average winter,
the winter durum and winter barley cultivars, which had poor frost
resistance, were killed, but the winter wheat suffered little
damage. Spring and summer were warmer than average and exceptionally
dry. Because of the drought, which began in April and lasted up
to harvest, the wheat yield was only 2.63 t/ha, less than 50 %
of that expected in a favorable year. [p.
40]
Z. Bedo, L. Lang, O. Veisz, G. Vida, I. Karsai, K. Meszaros, M. Rakszegi, P. Szucs, K. Puskas, C. Kuti, M. Megyeri, S. Bence, M. Cseplo, D. Lang, and J. Banyai.
Breeding. Seven new winter wheat cultivars were registered in 2003.
Mv Toborzo (Mv 05-2001) is the earliest maturing winter wheat ever bred at Martonvásár. Despite its earliness, this cultivar has good frost resistance and a yield potential that is competitive with that of cultivars with longer vegetation periods. Mv Toborzo is moderately resistant to powdery mildew and resistant to the local races of leaf and stem rust. Mv Toborzo is a good quality bread wheat, with high gluten content and good gluten quality.
Mv Piroska (Mv 06-2001) is an extremely high-yielding cultivar originating from the Open/Recital combination. Mv Piroska has moderate winter hardiness, good resistance to powdery mildew and stem rust, and excellent resistance to leaf rust. Although protein content is relatively low, the quality is good. This cultivar is recommended for production under intensive conditions in regions with mild winters.
Mv Matyo (Mv 07-2001) is an early, high-yielding cultivar with moderate frost resistance. The pedigree is 'Mv-Magma/GK-Kalaka//Mv-Magma/Ilona'. The cultivar has excellent disease resistance to powdery mildew, leaf rust, and stem rust and good production traits. Mv Matyo has a low wet gluten content of around 22-25 % and a farinograph quality of B1-B2.
Mv Garmada (Mv 08-2001) is a mid-early bread wheat with the pedigree 'Mv-Magdalena/F2098'. Mv Garmada has good field disease resistance and competitive yield potential. Mv Garmada is a good quality bread wheat with average protein content and above-average protein quality.
Mv Beres (Mv 14-2001) is a mid-early wheat cuiltivar with excellent quality and extremely good agronomic properties. This cultivar has excellent frost resistance and is resistant to powdery mildew, leaf rust, and stem rust. The pedigree of Mv Beres is 'Eryth352/Mv-Magdalena'. Mv Beres has a wet gluten content of 34-36 % with excellent gluten quality.
Mv Mazurka (Mv 20-2001) is the latest-maturing Martonvasar cultivar, heading 11 days later than Mv Toborzo. Good frost resistance and moderate disease resistance allow an average yield level to be achieved. Mv Mazurka has an extremely high gluten content and a farinograph quality of A1.
Mv Walzer (Mv 22-2001) is a late-maturing wheat with good frost resistance. Mv Walzer has average yield potential and disease resistance, but excellent quality. With a high wet gluten content of 33-36 %, Mv Walzer has optimum gluten elasticity and extensibility.
Storage proteins. Bankuti 1201, an old Hungarian wheat cultivar with special quality traits, was analyzed to determine the relationships between its storage-protein composition and superior quality attributes for bread making. Based on the storage-protein composition, the cultivar appears to have the nature of a population, containing several genotypes with different gluten protein alleles. Using molecular markers, a new, mutant, x-type HMW-glutenin allele was identified that contains an extra cystein residue and shows a moderate, positive effect on gluten properties. In lines possessing subunits Bx7 + By8, the overexpression of the Bx-type subunit could be detected, resulting in a higher unextractable polymeric protein (UPP) content and increased dough strength. We found that the presence or absence of subunit Bx7 has an equilibrating effect on the dough extensibility, which is generally characteristic of the Bankúti 120 population. The complex good bread-making quality of the cultivar, which has strong but highly extensible dough, is probably due to the balance between lines which express subunit Bx7 and those that do not.
Plant regeneration from embryos. A tissue-culture method for regeneration of plants from immature embryos of elite Hungarian winter wheat cultivars was established. The influence of growth regulators and the concentration of macroelements in the regeneration medium and of the incubation temperature and light intensity on regeneration frequency were investigated. The most noticeable effect on regeneration frequency was achieved by simultaneously reducing both the incubation temperature to 23 C and the concentration of macroelements in the regeneration medium to half-strength. This modification increased the average regeneration frequency from about 10 % to 78 %. Changes in the light intensity and temperature gave an average plant regeneration frequency of 83 %.
Durum wheat breeding. The main aim in winter durum wheat breeding continues to be the improvement of cold tolerance, winter hardiness, pasta quality, and productivity. Four high-yielding, cold-tolerant Martonvásár lines with good technological quality traits are now being tested in official state trials.
Winter durum wheat genotypes have been selected on the basis of the yellow color of the semolina since 1995. During this period, a total of 1,324 winter durum wheat cultivars and advanced lines has been tested for their yellow index using a Minolta CR-300 chromameter. Selection has resulted in a substantial increase in the yellow index of the winter durum wheat lines intended for inclusion in state trials. Compared with the control, the mean yellow index of these lines was 99.2 % prior to selection, but reached 113.2 % by 2000. The yellow index of the best Martonvásár lines exceeds that of the control cultivar, Parus, by over 30 %, whereas the proportion of lines with a yellow index lower than that of the control has dropped from 60 % to 5 %.
Disease resistance studies. The stem rust infection of genotypes with known resistance genes was tested in an artificially infected nursery. In 2003, cultivars with genes Sr5, Sr11, Sr24, Sr31, and Sr32 exhibited little infection and those with gene Sr36 none at all.
With molecular marker-assisted selection, genes for leaf rust resistance (Lr9, Lr24, Lr25, and Lr29) were identified and traced in the progeny populations of crosses made between four Martonvásár cultivars and sources carrying the resistance genes.
Race composition, degree of virulence, and efficiency of the known resistance genes were determined under controlled conditions in the greenhouse for the naturally occuring powdery mildew population found in Martonvasar. The dominant races of wheat powdery mildew (and their frequency) in 2003 were as follows: 63 (17.7 %), 77 (17.7 %), 51 (10.8 %), 76 (10.8 %), and 72 (10.1 %). The average number of virulence genes in the pathogen population was 4.81. Almost complete protection against the wheat powdery mildew pathotypes was provided by the resistance gene Pm4a+ (Khapli). Only varieties with genes Pm2+Mld and Pm3d became infected, with an infection percentage of less than 40 %.
The FHB resistance of Martonvasar wheat cultivars and advanced lines was tested in an irrigated nursery. In 2003, an extremely severe infection was noted on plots treated with isolates of F. graminearum and F. culmorum, with a significant quantity of early spikelet mortality and grain infection even in the majority of exotic resistance sources. On the basis of the 2003 tests, the cultivars Bankuti 1201, Mv Emese, and Mandolin had outstanding resistance. Testing has begun both in the field and in the greenhouse on the spread of Fusarium in the spike (type-II resistance). In the field experiment, the wheat genotypes were more severely infected than in the greenhouse. Considerable differences could be observed between cultivars in the intensity of infection.
Abiotic stress resistance studies. As part of our work on cold tolerance, we studied changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Significant differences were detected in the antioxidant enzyme activity of cultivars and substitution lines even without cold treatment. Glutathione reductase (GR) activity measured in the tillering nodes of the plants was found to be correlated with the frost resistance of the genotypes and with the duration of hardening. Motto had the best frost resistance of all the cultivars, and the donor cultivar Cheyenne had better resistance than any of the substitution lines, irrespective of the length of the hardening period. Glutathion reductase enzyme activity also was the greatest in plants of these cultivars hardened for the same length of time, whereas the lowest enzyme activity was recorded for the winter oat Gerald, which had the poorest frost resistance, and the winter barley Hardy, which also had poor frost resistance. In all the cultivars, the activity of the GR enzyme increased as the hardening period progressed, whereas in the substitution lines, little change or a slight decrease was observed as in Cheyenne.
Within the framework of environment protection research, work on the effect of global climate changes involved experiments carried out in the phytotron at various atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Wheat plants grown at double the present CO2 level produced more biomass (25-35 %) and yield (9-38 %) than those grown at the normal level. Considerable differences in yield quality were observed at increased CO2 concentration; in some cultivars there was a reduction in the protein and wet gluten content of the flour, whereas in others, the quality remained at the normal level. In plants grown at increased CO2 concentration, nutrient requirements increased because of a greater uptake of CO2; the optimum level of nitrogen supplies in the soil was also higher. As the result of heat shock at heading, a 19-35 % yield loss was observed, but this could be counteracted to a considerable extent by doubling the CO2 concentration. Grain quality, however, was poorest in plants raised at increased CO2 level and subjected to heat shock. The gluten index was 9-39 % lower than that recorded at normal CO2 and temperature levels.
B. Barnabas, M. Molnar-Lang, É. Darkó, G. Linc, E. Szakacs, E.D. Nagy, I. Takacs, F. Bakos, K. Jager, I. Molnar, H. Ambrus, A. Schneider, and I. Timar.
Physiological response of aluminium-tolerant wheat DH lines selected in vitro from microspores. The influence of Al on plant growth and mineral nutrition was investigated in Al-sensitive and Al-tolerant plants selected and regenerated from microspores. In the Al-sensitive genotype, increasing aluminium concentrations increased the accumulation of Al in the roots, causing a high reduction in root growth. A tight correlation was found between the increase of Al and the decrease of Ba, Cu, Mg, and Mn contents of the roots, indicating that Al inhibits the uptake of these elements. However, Al increased Fe and P accumulation in the roots. Aluminium accumulation and the phytotoxic effects of Al were lower in the Al-tolerant plants, suggesting an Al-exclusion mechanism was operating in the resistant lines.
The formation of reactive oxygen species induced by Al stress also was investigated in the selected lines. The roots of Al-tolerant plants were found to exhibit more intensive root growth, whereas accumulating less Al3+ and reactive oxygen species than Al-sensitive plants under Al-stress conditions. Aluminium accumulation was found chiefly in the root apex, although the formation of superoxides and peroxides was detected mainly in the elongation zone. Among the superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione-S-tranferase enzymes induced by Al stress, catalase and glutathione-S-tranferase may play an important role in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species in Al-tolerant plants, because they were found to have higher activity than in the Al-sensitive plants.
Effect of parental genotypes and colchicine treatment on the androgenic response of wheat F1 hybrids. The effect of parental genotypes and colchicine treatment on the androgenic response of wheat F1 hybrids was studied. Anthers from three F1 hybrids and their parents were cultured on W14 initiation medium and W14 supplemented with 0.03 % colchicine. The number of responding anthers, microspore-drerived structures /100 anthers, green plants/embryos cultured, green plants/100 anthers, and albino plants/100 anthers were recorded. The traits were genetically controlled and genotype dependent . In both treatments, the cultivar Kavkaz had a significantly higher percentage of responding anthers, microspore-derived structures, and green plants/100 anthers than the other genotypes. On the other hand, the cultivar Myconos also demonstrated high microspore-derived structure production and green-plant regeneration when treated with colchicine. The good response observed in these two wheats indicates the importance of colchicine treatment only for certain genotpyes. The green plant-production capacity of the hybrids was intermediate to that of the parental genotypes. Because one parent with a high or even an intermediate response to anther culture could lead to the production of sufficient (for breeding purposes) green plants form the F1 hybrids, we concluded that screening inbred lines for the response to anther culture with and without colchicine treatment could contribute to utilization of breeding material with a low response to anther culture via the proper hybrid combinations.
Wheat/barley hybridization and molecular cytogenetic identification of the derivatives. New winter wheat/winter barley hybrids were produced in Martonvásár using six-rowed, Ukrainian winter barley cultivars Manas and Osnova. Because the hybrids were sterile, they were multiplied in tissue culture and more than 100 regenerants were produced from the 'Asakaze komugi/Manas' combination. In vitro multiplication was repeated three times, because no backcross seeds were obtained even on the regenerants. Backcross seed finally was developed after the third in vitro multiplication cycle.
The chromosome constitution of the regenerated hybrids was analyzed using genomic in situ hybridization after each in vitro multiplication cycle to check that the barley chromosomes had not been eliminated. The seven barley chromosomes were present even after the third in vitro multiplication cycle, but abnormalities were observed. The pairing frequency between wheat and barley chromosomes increased, chromosome breakages occurred, the number of barley telocentrics and the number of amphidiploid cells increased, and wheat-barley translocations were detected.
Monosomic wheat-barley additions were developed by twice backcrossing Chinese Spring wheat with Betzes barley hybrids with the winter wheat genotypes Asakaze komugi and Martonvásari 9 krl. One 44-chromosome, disomic addition line was found among the selfed progeny of the 43-chromosome plants. By pollinating other 43-chromosome plants with maize, dihaploids were developed that were found to include one disomic addition line. Using total barley genomic DNA as a probe, the barley chromosomes were identified in the disomic addition lines by means of GISH. Barley chromosomes 2H and 6H were identified in the various lines using Giemsa C-banding. The effect of the barley chromosomes on the fertility and morphological traits of the plants was studied, and the stability of the lines was analyzed.
Production and identification of wheat-Aegilops biuncialis addition lines using FISH. FISH using two repetitive DNA clones (pSc119.2 and pAs1) on Ae. biuncialis (2n=4x=28, UUMM) and its two diploid progenitor species (Ae. umbellulata and Ae. comosa) was used to detect chromosome polymorphism. Differences in the hybridization patterns of all chromosomes except 5U and 5M were observed between the Ae. umbellulata, Ae. comosa, and Ae. biuncialis species. The differences in the hybridization patterns of the wheat and Ae. biuncialis parents analyzed after FISH using different repetitive DNA clones facilitated the exact identification of the Ae. biuncialis chromosomes in the wheat-Ae. biuncialis disomic additions produced in Martonvasar. Disomic addition lines for chromosomes 2M, 3M, 7M, and 3U have been selected, and two more lines still need to be characterized.
G. Galiba, G. Kocsy, T. Janda, G. Kovacs, J. Sutka, E. Paldi, G. Szalai, A. Vagujfalvy, B. Toth, E. Horváth, A.F. Balint, M. Pal, and V. Szilagyi.
Mapping genes affecting flowering time and frost resistance on chromosome 5B of wheat. Two populations of single-chromosome recombinant lines were used to map genes controlling flowering time on chromosome 5B of wheat, and one of the populations also was used to map a new frost resistance gene. Genetic maps were developed, mainly using microsatellite markers, and QTL analysis was applied to phenotypic data on the performance of each population collected from growth-chamber tests of flowering time and frost tolerance. Using a RSL mapping population derived from a cross between the substitution line Chinese Spring (Cheyenne 5B) and Chinese Spring, the gene Vrn-B1, affecting vernalization response, an earliness per se locus, Eps-5BL1, and the gene Fr-B1 affecting frost resistance, were mapped. Using a 'Hobbit' sib' (Chinese Spring 5BL)/Hobbit' sib' RSL mapping population, the earliness per se locus Eps-5BL2 was mapped. The Vrn-B1 locus was mapped on the distal portion of the long arm of chromosome 5B to a region syntenous with the segments of chromosomes 5A and 5D containing Vrn-A1 and Vrn-D1 loci, respectively. The two Eps-5BL loci were mapped close to the centromere at a distance of 16 cM, which is in agreement with the position of a homoeologous locus previously mapped on chromosome 5H of barley and suggested by the response of Chinese Spring deletion lines. Fr-B1 was mapped on the long arm of chromosome 5B, 40 cM from the centromeric marker. Previous comparative mapping data with rice chromosome 9 suggests that this gene could be orthologous to the other Fr genes mapped previously by us on chromosomes 5A or 5D of wheat, although in a more proximal position. This study completes the mapping of the homoeoallelic series of vernalization-requirement genes and frost-resistance genes on the chromosomes of the homoeologous group 5 in wheat.
Changes in the content of modified nucleotides in wheat rRNA during greening. The modified nucleotide content of ribosomal RNAs in wheat is greatly influenced by light. The rRNAs of etiolated seedlings contain far fewer derivatives. The modified nucleotide composition characteristic of green plants develops gradually as a result of irradiation. In the course of our experiments, changes in the state of modification of the 5.8S and 18S rRNAs were examined during the greening of etiolated wheat seedlings. Three types of minor nucleotides, O2-methyladenosine, O2-methylguanosine, and pseudouridine, were found in the 5.8S rRNA of green wheat leaves, none of which was detected in etiolated wheat. The minor nucleotides appeared in the 5.8S rRNA only 48 h after irradiation. The sequences of 5.8 rDNA, ITS1, ITS2, and 18S rDNA also were determined, and the presence of the hyper-modified nucleotide 1-methyl-3-(a-amino-a-carboxyropyl)-pseudoiridine was detected in green wheat 18S rRNA. This minor component was not demonstrable in etiolated wheat 18S rRNA but appeared after irradiation for 48 h.
Comparative study of frost tolerance and antioxidant activity in cereals. We investigated the correlation between the frost tolerance of cereals and their antioxidant capacity. Frost-tolerant and frost-sensitive cereal species, including wheat, barley, rye, durum wheat, and oat cultivars and wheat chromosome substitution lines, were cold-hardened at low, gradually decreasing temperature for 7 weeks. Control, unhardened plants were grown at a constant temperature of 17/16 C. Changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes/catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione reductase in the crown and leaves were determined in the control and in hardened plants. The glutathione-S-transferase in the crown and leaf and the ascorbate peroxidase and GPx in the leaf were significantly higher in the hardened plants than in the controls. Catalase activity in the leaves was lower in the hardened plants. The highest correlation between the enzyme activity and frost tolerance was found for GPx and ascorbate peroxidase from hardened leaves. Enzyme activities in the crown and in unhardened leaves showed no significant positive correlation.
Effect of vernalization on the methylation level of DNA. We examined the changes in the 5-methylcytosine content of the DNA during vernalization in the winter wheat cultivar Mv 15, with a short vernalization requirement. The results indicated that low temperature treatment reduced the level of DNA methylation to a similar extent as the treatment with 50 mM 5-azacytidine (5-azaC), a compound causing demethylation. Illumination had no substantial influence on the quantity of methylated derivatives. The combined effect of vernalization and 5-azaC treatment caused a substantial reduction in the quantity of methylated cytosine. The data also proved that although the 5-azaC treatment reduced the methylation rate of the DNA in unvernalized plants, this in itself was not sufficient to induce flowering. Demethylation appears to be an important part of the vernalization; a factor induced by cold also is required.
Genetic resources. The growing interest in emmer and einkorn cultivation has no doubt been stimulated by the increasing demand for traditional foods with an image of naturalness, especially in the organic market. This new economic situation could stimulate breeding and production of emmer and einkorn as the source of an especially valuable foodstuff. The task of breeders is to produce cultivars that can survive without serious damage even the hardest winter occurring in the targeted cultivation area. The best sources for improving winter hardiness are probably emmer and einkorn genetic resources stored in gene banks. Unfortunately, no public data are available on the frost tolerance and winter hardiness of the various gene bank accessions. In our recent research, the frost tolerance and winter hardiness of 92 winter emmer and 46 einkorn gene bank accessions were studied under nursery and phytotronic conditions. The results suggest that the majority of the emmer populations studied are frost-sensitive, and only few landraces have an acceptable level of winter hardiness and frost resistance. Most of the einkorn accessions, however, showed a relatively high level of frost tolerance and winter hardiness. Based on a field experiment, 10 landraces from each species showing acceptable agronomic performance were selected to initiate an organic breeding program.
KARCAG RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF DEBRECEN UNIVERSITY
5301 Karcag, Hungary.
V.S. Erzsebét, L. Balla, M. Fazekas, G.Y. Chrappán, and Á. Czimbalmas. [p. 47]
The crop year 2002-03 was very special in Hungary, especially in the plains area where the Karcag Research Institute is located. Timely planting with good soil moisture led to excellent stand establishment, autumn growth, and spring recovery. However, high temperatures in the spring and drought stress during spring and summer reduced yield considerably and increased the expression of yield differences among the cultivars in both trials and large-scale production.
Recently released Karcag cultivars did quite well compared to other wheats coming from moist areas. We had only 4.1 mm precipitation in April, 26.2 mm in May, and 3.2 mm in the first 10 days of June.
Significant differences between the drought-tolerant and intolerant genotypes were observed. We had a good chance to select new entries for further advancement.
Currently, we have one early maturing (Kg Magor), four medium maturing (Kondor, Alex, Hunor, and Rona), and one medium-late (Kg Kunhalom) cultivars. These lines did well in both foundation seed increase and state-wide trials. The breeders seed and first reproduction sold completely.
At the same time, we advanced a large number of experimental lines for further testing and also put many of them in the statutory trials. One of our projects is to develop new cultivars for the unfavorable ecological conditions of the Plains area; another is the development of drought-tolerant cultivars. Both projects were successful in the last 2 years. We have had a chance to select genotypes and test the experimental lines in replicated trials.