Rm. Trethowan et al., Coleoptile length variation of near-isogenic Rht lines of modern CIMMYT bread and durum wheats, FIELD CR RE, 70(3), 2001, pp. 167-176
A set of 10 bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and six durum wheat (T. turg
idum L.) genotypes near-isogenic for either the Rht1 or Rht2 dwarfing genes
were analyzed for plant height, kernel weight, coleoptile length and grain
yield. Coleoptile length was measured at three different temperatures and
plant height, kernel weight and grain yield determined in six different env
ironments. Durum wheat, regardless of stature, produced longer coleoptiles
than bread wheat at higher temperature. Within the non-Rht isolines, plant
height and coleoptile length were independent characters. The tall durum wh
eats tended to be taller than their bread wheat counterparts, indicating an
absence of minor genes for reduced height. However, a number of bread whea
t cultivars showed relatively small height increases following removal of t
he Rht gene and substantially greater increases in coleoptile length. Coleo
ptile length was more highly correlated (r(2) = 0.53, P < 0.01) with seed w
eight among the non-Rht isolines compared to cultivars containing either Rh
t1 or Rht2. Grain yield and plant height were positively correlated among t
he semi-dwarf Rht isolines in 5 of 6 environments. No equivalent relationsh
ip existed among the non-Rht materials. Grain yield (standard sowing depth
3 cm) and coleoptile length were generally not significantly correlated wit
hin each isogenic grouping.
Plant breeders should be able to select short statured, non-Rht1 or non-Rht
2 hexaploid bread wheat with better emergence characteristics. The non-Rht
genotypes developed from the bread wheat cultivars Seri 82 and Culiacan 89
were identified as meeting these criteria. Wheats such as these could offer
significant advantages to farmers in environments where deep sowing into s
tored soil moisture is practiced. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights
reserved.