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The F1 hybrids of T. timopheevi and T. monococcum had 21 chromosomes (Fig. 1), and after chromosome doubling, the amphiploid of T. timopheevi-T.monococcum had 42 chromosomes (Fig. 2). Morphologically, the amphiploid resembled the accession of T. zhukovskyi, PGR 10370 (Fig. 3). It had a red coleoptile, and the entire plant was pubescent. Spikes of the amphiploid also resembled T. zhukovskyi. This amphiploid had a laterally compressed spike and long awns and, was non-free-threshing as a result of glumes which tightly held the grains. The spike was tapered at the base and tip. The rachis was rather brittle, and easily disarticulated into individual spikelets at maturity. The spikelets disarticulated at a point above the junction of the rachis and rachilla, and each spikelet contained two grains. Both T. zhukovskyi and the amphiploid had long red grains (Fig. 4). T. timopheevi has been noted for its resistance to diseases, including rusts (Knott 1989), septoria nodorum, and tan spot (Ma and Hughes 1995), and T. monococcum has resistance to rusts (Knott 1989). Therefore, this amphiploid derived from T. timopheevi and T. monococcum might have resistance to several diseases. Synthetic wheat with genome AAGGAA was previously developed using T. timopheevi and T. monococcum by Y. Watanabe in 1955 and T. Kawahara in 1982 (http:// www.shigen.nig.ac.jp/wheat). In the current study, the accessions of T. timopheevi and T. monococcum used for the development of synthetic zhukovskyi wheat are different from those used by Y. Watanabe and T. Kawahara, and they have some resistance to fusarium head blight (data not shown).

The development of synthetic zhukovskyi wheat not only can provide useful germplasm for wheat breeding program but also can help scientist study wheat evolution. An evaluation of the amphiploid for resistance to fusarium head blight, septoria nodorum and tan spot etc. will be carried out in the greenhouse and fields. In order to confirm the evolution of T. zhukovskyi, a conventional cytogenetic study will he conducted by crossing the amphiploid with T. zhukovskyi for observation of chromosome pairing behavior of the F1, and a molecular cytogenetic study will also be conducted using in situ hybridization techniques.


References

Bowden WM (1959) Taxonomy and nomenclature of wheat, barley and rye and their wild relatives. Can J Bot 37: 657- 684.

Dvorak J, Terlizzi PDI, Zhang HB and Resta P (1992) The evolution of polypIoid wheats: identification of the A genome donor species. Genome 36: 21-31.

Jakubziner M (1959) A new wheat species. Proc Ist Int Wheat Genet Symp, Winnipeg: 207-220.>

Kimber G and Sears ER (1983) Assignment of genome symbols in Triticeae. Proc 6th Int Wheat Genet Symp, Kyoto: 1195-1196.

Knott DR (1989) The wheat rusts-breeding for resistance. in: Frankel R, Grossman M, Linskens HF, Maliga P and Riley R (ed) Monographs on theoretical and applied genetics (12). Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg: 170-171.

Ma H and Hughes GR (1995) Genetic control and chromosomal location of Triticum timopheevii-derived resistance to septoria nodorum, blotch in durum wheat. Genome 7: 91-97.

Upadhya MD and Swaminathan MS (1963) Genome analysis in Triticum zhukovskyi, a new hexoploid wheat. Chromosoma 14: 589-600.

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