RESPONSES TO SALT STRESS CONTROLLED BY THE HOMOEOLOGOUS GROUP-5 CHROMOSOMES OF HEXAPLOID WHEAT

The responses to salt stress in NFT (nutrient film) hydroponics of 'Ch inese Spring' wheat and a number of its aneuploids involving the chrom osomes of homoeologous group 5 were studied. This showed that the abse nce of chromosome 5D allowed plants to survive better than in the eupl oid condition. Much of this response could be related to the effects o f Vrn3, which conditions the spring habit of 'Chinese Spring'. The abi lity to survive relatively high levels of stress was promoted by the g roup 5 homoeologue from Thinopyrum bessarabicum.