Abstract
Improvement of grain protein content (GPC), loaf volume and resistance to rusts was achieved in 11 Indian wheat cultivars that are widely grown in four different agro-climatic zones of India. This involved use of marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) for introgression and pyramiding of the following genes: (i) the high GPC gene Gpc-B1; (ii) HMW glutenin subunits 5 + 10 at Glu-D1 loci, and (iii) rust resistance genes, Yr36, Yr15, Lr24 and Sr24. GPC was improved by 0.8–3.3%, although high GPC was generally associated with yield penalty. Further selection among high GPC lines, allowed development of progenies with higher GPC associated with improvement in 1000-grain weight and grain yield in the following four cultivars: NI5439, UP2338, UP2382 and HUW468. The high GPC progenies (derived from NI5439) were also improved for grain quality using HMW glutenin subunits 5 + 10 at Glu-D1 loci. Similarly, progenies combining high GPC and rust resistance were developed in the backgrounds of following five cultivars: Lok1, HD2967, PBW550, PBW621 and DBW1. The improved pre-bred lines developed during the present study should prove useful for development of cultivars with improved nutritional quality associated with rust resistance in future wheat breeding programmes.
Pyramiding of Genes for Grain Protein Content, Grain Quality and Rust Resistance in Eleven Indian Bread Wheat Cultivars: A Multi-Institutional Effort
