EVALUATION OF LINES DERIVED FROM WILD EMMER CHROMOSOME SUBSTITUTIONS .2. AGRONOMIC TRAITS

Improving yield and other agronomic traits in durum wheat (Triticum tu rgidum L. var. durum) depends on adequate genetic diversity. Genetic d iversity in durum wheat is limited. An accession of wild emmer (Tritic um turgidum L. var. dicoccoides) with high protein concentration was u sed to develop a complete set of 'langdon' (T. dicoccoides) [LDN(DIC)] substitution lines. This study was conducted to evaluate the potentia l of using these substitution lines as parents for deriving lines with acceptable agronomic traits. Each of the 14 substitution lines and La ngdon were crossed to a common male parent, 'Vic'. Parents, F-2:4, and F-2:5 lines were grown in replicated trials at two locations in North Dakota in 1989 and 1991, respectively. Days to heading, plant height, grain yield, and kernel weight were measured. Population means and ge netic variances were compared to those of the Langdon/Vic population t o identify substitution lines that conferred favorable agronomic chara cteristics to derived lines. Heritabilities were estimated based on pa rent-offspring regression and variance components. All substitution po pulations except these with LDN(DIC) 4B and 5B were earlier in heading date than the Langdon/Vic population. Langdon dicoccoides substitutio n populations 1A, 2A, 4A, 6A, 7A, 1B, 4B, 5B, and 6B were significantl y shorter than the Langdon/Vic population. Langdon dicoccoides substit ution population 4B had higher yield than the Langdon/Vic population. Langdon dicoccoides substitution populations 2A, 3A, and 5B had a mean kernel weight greater than the Langdon/Vic population. Our data sugge sts that there is a possibility of deriving lines with high grain yiel d and good agronomic traits from LDN(DIC) 4B.