WHEAT - Triticum sp.

(x =7)

Wheat is the most important cereal in the world, giving about one-third of the
total production, followed closely by rice. In temperate regions it is the major source of
food. The chief use of wheat is, the flour for making bread.

Chromosome number:
Diploid : 2n = 14
Tetraploid : 2n = 28
Hexaploid : 2n = 42

Place of origin:
Diploid : Asia minor
Tetraploid : Abyssinia, North Africa
Hexaploid : Central Asia
Classification:
Ploidy level Species Common Name Genome
Diploid [Link] ([Link]) Wild einkorn AA
(2n=14) 2 species [Link] Einkorn AA
[Link] Wild Emmer AA BB
Tetraploid [Link] Emmer AA BB
(2n=28) 7 species [Link] Macaroni wheat AABB
[Link] Persian wheat AABB
AABB
[Link] Rivet wheat
[Link] Polish wheat
[Link] -
Hexaploid [Link] Common or bread wheat AABBDD
(2n= 42) 5 species [Link] Club wheat AABBDD
[Link] Dwarf wheat AABBDD
[Link] Spelt wheat AABBDD
Macha wheat AABBDD
[Link]
 Fourteen species of wheat
according to Vavilov
(Fig.1):
[Link]
coccum,[Link]
[Link],[Link],
[Link],[Link]
[Link],
[Link],
[Link],
[Link],
[Link],
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
[Link],[Link].
Origin of diploid wheat:
(Wild Einkorn)[Link] ([Link])

Natural mutation
and selection

[Link]
Cultivated diploid
AA (2n = 14)

T. boeoticum is probably the ancestor for all the cultivated wheats:

Origin of Tetraploid wheats: Origin of hexaploid wheats (Fig.2):
[Link] x Aegilops spelltoides [Link] x Aegilops squarrosa
AA BB DD
AA BB 2n = 28 2n = 14
2n = 14 2n 14 F1
ABD(2n = 21)
F1 Sterile (2n=14) (AB) Sterile
Natural mutation and Natural doubling
Doubling

[Link] 2n = 28 [Link]
Wild emmer AABB AABBDD (2n = 42)
By natural selection (Cultivated)

[Link] (Emmer wheat)

AABB (2n=28) Cultivated

Related Species of Triticum:

1. [Link]: forms with one to two seeded spikelets occur. The brittle ears
shatter at maturity into individual spikelets armed with awns which provide an
 effective means of seed dispersal.
2. [Link]: Primitive diploid form domesticated, evolved from [Link] by
mutation and selection..
3. Aegilops speltoides: (2n=14;B genome). It is naturally cross-pollinating. It is the
recognized donor of the B genome.
4. [Link]: It is an amphidiplod form resulting from the hybridization of
[Link] and Ae. speltoides.
5. T. dicoccum: The spikes are dense, bearded and laterally compressed, the spikelets
are two grained and the grains are retained within the glumes after threshing
(speltoid). It is the oldest of the cultivated wheat.
6. [Link]: Free thrashing wheat with naked grains, important of the tetraploid wheats.
Grains contain high glutin.
7. Ae. squarrosa: (2n=14; D genome) It is the source of D genome in the cultivated
hexaploid wheat, high adaptability.
8. [Link]: Hexaploid species, considered an amphidiploid from hybridization between
[Link] and [Link].
Fig.2. The evolution of hexaploid bread wheat from its wild relatives.
The most important of all the hexaploid wheat is the common bread wheat, [Link] grown
in all parts of the tropics and sub tropics. This hexaploid wheat from which most modern
wheats have been developed. It exhibits an extremely wide range of morphological and
physiological variation and ecological adaptation.

Breeding objectives
1. High yield
High yield depends on
a) The number of heads / unit area
b) The number of grains / head.
c) The average weight of grain

While breeding for high yielding varieties all the above three components must be
looked into. Omitting any one of them may not yield results. Further while breeding for
high yield it is necessary to combine into a variety a favorable combination of genes
influencing all yield process.
2. Breeding non- lodging varieties:
This is achieved after the identification of dwarfing gene in Japanese variety
Norin 10. Most of our dwarf wheats are two gene dwarfs. E.g. Sonara 63, sonara 64,
kalyan sona. Emphasis is now on triple gene dwarfs.
3. Breeding for disease resistance
Rust is the major disease. Both stem rust and leaf rust are important ones. There
are different races of rust. So while breeding for rust resistance horizontal resistance is to
be looked into. Back cross method of breeding and development of multi lines are the
methods.
4. Breeding for insect resistance
Hesisan fly is the major pest. Resistance in most varieties is thro’ Antibiosis.
5. Breeding for quality
Different wheat varieties vary greatly in their chemical composition which is
considerably influenced by environment. The varieties of hard wheat or bread wheat
which have higher gluten content. The soft wheat contains lesser gluten content which is
suitable for cake making, pastries. The durum wheats are unsuited for either cakes or
bread but they are suitable for making macaroni.
So depending upon the use the quality breeding objective is to be fixed.
 6. Breeding non- lodging varieties:
This is achieved after the identification of dwarfing gene in Japanese variety
Norin 10. Most of our dwarf wheats are two gene dwarfs. E.g. Sonara 63, sonara 64,
kalyan sona. Emphasis is now on triple gene dwarfs.
7. Breeding for disease resistance
Rust is the major disease. Both stem rust and leaf rust are important ones. There
are different races of rust. So while breeding for rust resistance horizontal resistance is to
be looked into. Back cross method of breeding and development of multi lines are the
methods.
8. Breeding for insect resistance
Hesisan fly is the major pest. Resistance in most varieties is thro’ Antibiosis.
9. Breeding for quality.
Different wheat varieties vary greatly in their chemical composition which is
considerably influenced by environment. The varieties of hard wheat or bread wheat
which have higher gluten content. The soft wheat contains lesser gluten content which is
suitable for cake making, pastries. The durum wheats are unsuited for either cakes or
bread but they are suitable for making macaroni.
So depending upon the use the quality breeding objective is to be fixed.
Methods of breeding:

1. Introduction:
Semi dwarf wheat from Mexico, Sonara 63, Sonara 64, Mayo 64, Lerma Roja 64
2. Pure line selection:
Earlier varieties like P4, P6, P12 evolved at pusa institute are result of pure line
selection from local population.
3. Hybridisation and selection
a) Inter varietal:
A number of successful derivatives were developed at IARI New Delhi and Punjab.
NP 809 - New Pusa multiple cross derivative.
However, all these varieties were lodging and poor yielder when compared to
other countries. Hence the wheat hybridization programme was changed by Dr. M.S.
Swaminathan during 1963. Borloug was invited to our country and he suggested for
introduction of semi dwarf varieties from Mexico. As a result, four commercial spring
wheat varieties viz., Sonara 63, Sonara 64 Mayo 64 and Lerma Roja 64 were introduced.
However, they had red kernel hard wheats. These were utilized in our breeding
programme and amber colour wheat varieties like Kalyan Sona, Safed Lerma, Sharbati
Sonara were released, these are double gene dwarfs.
b) Inter specific crosses
To get Hessian fly resistance. So also for rust resistance.
c) Back cross method of breeding
Rust resistance in Chinese spring from Thatcher.
4. Hybrid wheat:
At Kansas Agri. Expt. Station USA male sterile lines were identified by crossing
[Link] x T. aestivum Bison variety.
By repeated back crossing a male sterile line resembling Bison was evolved. At present
USA and Canada are doing work on this.
5. Mutation breeding
Dr. M. S. Swaminathan did extensive work on this with gamma rays.
Sharbati, Sonara with increased protein content was evolved.
6. Development of multilines
Borlaug developed multilines against rust. MLKS 15 was developed at IARI.
Multi line is a mixture of pure lines which are phenotypically similar but genotypically
dissimilar. Each line is produced by separate back cross method of breeding. Each line
having resistance against a particular race of a disease.