2.2.6.2. Winter wheat

The progeny of winter wheat plants was tested in two geographical locations: the Moscow Oblast against the natural but epidemic course of stem rust in 2016 and Krasnodar for the North Caucasian population of stem rust against the infectious background. In the Moscow Oblast in 2016, favorable conditions for the epidemic development of stem rust arose on wheat crops. The focus of the disease arose on winter wheat in the phase of milk ripeness of grain and then switched to spring wheat. The disease affected the standard winter wheat cultivar Moskovskaya 39 by 40% with the type of response to infection 3–4, and allowed a clear differentiation of the genotypes among the sown source material on the basis of resistance, and also the evaluation of the spring wheat lines collection with known resistance Sr genes for the effectiveness of individual genes in the Moscow Oblast.

2.2.7. Seventh stage

2.2.7.1. Spring wheat

Evaluation of the economically valuable traits of selected stable lines in the Moscow Oblast conditions in comparison with standard cultivars, selection of the best genotypes for competitive testing.

Genetic Improvement of Bread Wheat for Stem Rust Resistance in the Central Federal Region of Russia: Results…

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.75379

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During the selection of spring genotypes, we were guided by such characteristics as the earlier (43–46 days) or simultaneous ear formation with the standard spring cultivar Lada, the optimum height of the plant (up to 110 cm), the grain mass from the ear (1.6–2.6 g) and weight of 1000 grains (45–50 g). During the selection of winter lines, the wintering of the lines was taken into account, and we also oriented toward the listed characteristics and compared them to the standard winter cultivar Moskovskaya 39. The reliability of the differences in the indices (the productivity of the ear, the mass of 1000 grains, the height) was estimated upon the results of a single-factor disperse analysis using the "Agros" statistical analysis algorithms [35]. Protein and gluten content in the grain was determined on an infrared analyzer SpectraStar 2400 in the productive lines with large grain. The content of gluten in the flour was analyzed on Glutamatik Perten device, and the quality of gluten on an IGD-3 M (the measuring instrument of gluten deformation). Other indicators of flour quality (strength and dilution) were determined on alveograph and farinograph. The main physiological trait of the selected lines is the group resistance to fungal diseases (leaf and stem rust, powdery mildew) and the presence of several identified genes of resistance to stem rust that must provide durable resistance to the Pgt population in the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation and on the territory of Western Siberia. The distinctive morphological sign of the majority of the lines is the presence of anthocyanin on the pericarp of the grain, which causes the grain to acquire a different degree of coloration (from dark red to dark purple). As a rule, lines with purple grain have the manifestation of anthocyanins on other organs too (stems, ears, anthers). As stated earlier, the 25 best genotypes with a set of economically valuable traits were selected among the spring progeny, which were estimated in 2017 in the control nursery for resistance to diseases, grain harvest from the plot, grain nature and its quality. The control nursery was laid in triple replication in the conditions of the Moscow Oblast (area of the registration plot 1.5 m<sup>2</sup>

tested lines of spring wheat confirmed their high resistance to stem and leaf rust, but none of the lines exceeded the standard cultivar Lada by the yield of grain from the plot. Only three accessions (11-17, 21-17 and 23-17) out of 25 produced a crop that is not inferior to this standard. The second standard cultivar Zlata was strongly affected by stem and leaf rust (up to 70%) and formed a yield significantly lower than Lada and some tested lines (Table 4). Some of the selected lines, when compared with standard cultivars, look attractive in terms of the number of days before ear formation, which was reduced by 1–2 days and height (lines 1-17, 12-17, 23-17), group resistance to diseases (lines 1-17, 4-17, 7-17, 8-17, 9-17, 12-17, 15-17, 16-17, 20-17, 23-17), the grain size (lines 12-17, 21-17, 23-17) and grain nature (lines 11-17, 15-17).

According to the results of complex assessments, seven genotypes were selected for the evaluation of grain quality (Table 5) and ecological testing in CFDR (Moscow Oblast, Vladimir Oblast, Tula Oblast). After the results of the environmental test, which is planned in 2018, the best prototype of the cultivar will be sent to the State Test and determination of the cultivation regions.

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During assessing the collection of lines with known Sr genes in 2016, it was found that compared to 2013, the spectrum of effective resistance genes to this disease narrowed, which indicates possible mutational processes in the fungus population or various sources of plant disease epidemic. If in 2013, the following genes: Sr2, Sr9e, Sr13, Sr22, Sr25, Sr26, Sr28kt, Sr30, Sr31, Sr32, Sr36, Sr44, SrWld and combinations Sr13 + Sr17 and Sr31 + Sr38 were effective, then in 2016, only lines with the following Sr genes showed high resistance (severity 0) or resistance (up to 1% severity with the reaction type of 1 point): Sr28kt, Sr30, Sr31, Sr32 and SrWld, and lines with the Sr9e, Sr17, Sr25, Sr26, Sr33 and Sr40 genes showed moderate resistance (from 5 to 20% severity with the reaction type of 2 points).

The evaluation of the created winter wheat lines for fungal diseases showed high resistance of most genotypes to local populations of leaf rust and stem rust and to powdery mildew. Only 14 out of 373 sown lines (about 4% of the genotypes) were susceptible to the P. graminis of the Moscow population and segregating along this trait. Even more lines (98.7%) were resistant to P. triticina. In the test material, there were 147 lines resistant to powdery mildew with severity up to 10% (Table 3). One hundred and thirty-six lines with group resistance to the three diseases were selected.

The evaluation of 367 winter wheat lines in the Krasnodar Krai made it possible to isolate 146 immune lines (severity 0) and 22 resistant lines (up to 5% severity, reaction type of 1, 2 points), that is, 46% of the genotypes which showed resistance to the North Caucasian population of stem rust. By comparing the results obtained in the Moscow Oblast and in the Krasnodar Krai, 50 genotypes that showed stability in both geographically remote points were selected.


Table 3. The results of estimations of winter wheat lines for fungal diseases against the natural background of leaf, stem rust and powdery mildew development in the Moscow Oblast (2016).
