A wide collection of wild emmer accessions to recover diversity for cultivated wheats

FRANCESCA DESIDERIO; HAKAN OZKAN; ELISABETTA MAZZUCOTELLI; PABLO RONCALLO; DELFINA BARABASCHI; LUIGI CATTIVELLI

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Simposio; 13th International Wheat Genetics Symposium; 2017

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciencies, Vienna, Austria.

The wild emmer wheat, Triticum dicoccoides (AABB), is the progenitor of the domesticated durum wheat (AABB). It harbors a wide spectrum of alleles that were lost during domestication and breeding processes, some features being deleterious, but many others possibly useful for genetic improvement of cultivated wheat. Indeed, a number of genes and alleles positively contributing to biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, yield components and quality, have been found in wild emmer and introgressed in cultivated wheats. A collection of 450 wild emmer accessions has been established c/o CREA-Genomics Research Centre. The accessions have originated from all Fertile Crescent countries and grouped in Western and Eastern races, thus representing all environments where wild emmer naturally occurs. After one cycle of single seed descent, 285 wild emmer accessions have been genotyped using the Axiom 35k Breeders´ Array, obtaining about 10000 poly-high resolution markers.Based on genotyping data, the genetic diversity levels and population structure within the collection have been assessed. Using Principal Coordinate Analysis and Structure analysis, several group and sub-group were identified. This collection is being exploited for genome wide association scan (GWAS) for a number of traits including rust resistance and spike fertility.