Random chromosome elimination in synthetic Triticum–Aegilops amphiploids leads to development of a stable partial amphiploid with high grain micro- and macronutrient content and powdery mildew resistance

Synthetic amphiploids are the immortal sources for studies on crop evolution, genome dissection, and introgression of useful variability from related species. Cytological analysis of synthetic decaploid wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) – Aegilops kotschyi Boiss. amphiploids (AABBDDUkUkSkSk) showed some univalents from the C1 generation onward followed by chromosome elimination. Most of the univalents came to metaphase I plate after the reductional division of paired chromosomes and underwent equational division leading to their elimination through laggards and micronuclei. Substantial variation in the chromosome number of pollen mother cells from different tillers, spikelets, and anthers of some plants also indicated somatic chromosome elimination. Genomic in situ hybridization, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and simple sequence repeat markers analysis of two amphiploids with reduced chromosomes indicated random chromosome elimination of various genomes with higher sensitivity of D followed by the Sk and Uk genomes to elimination, whereas 1D chromosome was preferentially eliminated in both the amphiploids investigated. One of the partial amphiploids, C4 T. aestivum ‘Chinese Spring’ – Ae. kotschyi 396 (2n = 58), with 34 T. aestivum, 14 Uk, and 10 Sk had stable meiosis and high fertility. The partial amphiploids with white glumes, bold seeds, and tough rachis with high grain macro- and micronutrients and resistance to powdery mildew could be used for T. aestivum biofortification and transfer of powdery mildew resistance.