Reduced height genes and their importance in winter wheat cultivars grown in southern Russia

• Published in: Euphytica 2013-03, Vol.190 (1), p.137-144
• Main Authors: Divashuk, M. G., Bespalova, L. A., Vasilyev, A. V., Fesenko, I. A., Puzyrnaya, O. Yu, Karlov, G. I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Chromosomes; Cultivars; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genetic research; Germplasm; Gibberellic acid; Gibberellins; Green Revolution; Life Sciences; Plant breeding; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Triticum aestivum; Wheat; Winter wheat
• ISSN: 0014-2336; 1573-5060
• DOI: 10.1007/s10681-012-0789-7

Reduced height genes are the genetic basis of the “green revolution”. Two agronomically important gibberellic acid (GA)-insensitive genes, Rht - B1b ( Rht1 ) and Rht - D1b ( Rht2 ), localised on chromosomes 4BS and 4DS, respectively, and the GA-responsive gene Rht8 , localised on chromosome 2DS, were introduced into many cultivars worldwide. An alternative GA-insensitive gene Rht - B1e (= Rht11 ) was introduced into Russian wheat cultivars. In this study, we investigated the importance of Rht - B1b , Rht - B1e , Rht - D1b and Rht8 in south Russian bread wheat cultivars. The cultivars were divided into five groups: (1) Rht8c ; (2) Rht - B1b ; (3) Rht - B1b , Rht8 ; (4) Rht - B1e , Rht8 ; and (5) Rht - D1b , Rht8 . In the Krasnodar region of south Russia 3,222,321 ha were evaluated for estimating the commercial value of each of these genes in 2009–2011. The results showed that coupling Rht - B1e with Rht8 or Rht - B1b with Rht8 was more successful compared with the effects of other genes or their combinations. The average yield of cultivars carrying Rht - B1e exceeded the average yield of cultivars from the other groups. Our study demonstrates that Rht - B1e can be recommended for use in breeding programs and the presence of a molecular marker for this allele simplifies its transfer to elite wheat germplasm.