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Wheat Information Service
Number 73: 1-4 (1991)


Chracterization of a disomic wheat-Ae. variabilis addition line resistant to powdery mildew fungus

P. Spetsov and I. Iliev

Institute for Wheat and Sunflower, General Toshevo, Bulgaria


A disomic addition line (2n=44) has been obtained by crossing T. aestivum cv. Roussalka with Aegilops variabilis (UUSS, 2n=28)*. It manifested high resistance to powdery mildew in seedling and adult plant stage, both in greenhouse and field conditions. The alien pair of chromosomes slightly suppressed the growth of plants in tillering phase, and necrotic symptom was visually detected, mainly, in glasshouse.

The added chromosome, not carrying a satellite, did not cause negative effects on the sporogenesis in plants. As a result, balanced 22-chromosome gametes were formed.

The present paper deals with the characteristics of the newly obtained disomic addition line.


Materials and Methods

The parents used were Aegilops variabilis (2n=28), collection number 13.133 (awned type), and T. aestivum var. erythrospermum, cultivar Roussalka, IWS-Gen. Toshevo's winter type variety. The cross-combination between the parents was made in 1984, and F1 seeds were irradiated using
60Co, dose of 10 kR.

BC1 plants with wheat were grown on a infection field and the resistant progenies were obtained each year by self-pollinating the derivates. A single plant, having the cytoplasm of common wheat and isolated in 1988 with high resistance to powdery mildew, was the ancestor of the disomic addition line (DAL in abbreviation).

First two leaves seedlings grown in a greenhouse were inoculated with five physiological races of Blumeria graminis (DC) Speer f. sp. tritici (Erysiphe graminis f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal) i.e., 59, 59a, 84, 111 and 112 (Iliev 1989). Infection was rated using five progressive grades from 0 to 4: 0, no symptom; 1-2, small areas of mycelium with little or no conidial formation to scant sporulation; 3, reduced sporulation; 4, heavy sporulation.

Field assessments were made on plants, grown in the infection plot that was artificially inoculated by pathogen populations, including the races of powdery mildew fungus from the glasshouse experiment. The estimates for adult plant resistance to powdery mildew comprised leaves and spikes separately, and grouped as follows: VR, high resistant, no symptom to scant sporulation on the lowest leaves; R, resistant, mycelium with little conidial formation; and S, susceptible to the pathogen.

Somatic chromosomes were counted in root-tip cells and meiotic phases were analysed from PMCs, using the acetocarmine smear method. Some field observations on plant growth and spike open fertility of the lines were recorded.


* Genome symbol according to Kimber and Tsunewaki (1988).

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