Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; email:
The Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel.
Annu Rev Phytopathol. 2016 Aug 4;54:279-301. doi: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-080614-120254. Epub 2016 Jan 1.
The genetic bottlenecks associated with plant domestication and subsequent selection in man-made agroecosystems have limited the genetic diversity of modern crops and increased their vulnerability to environmental stresses. Wild emmer wheat, the tetraploid progenitor of domesticated wheat, distributed along a wide range of ecogeographical conditions in the Fertile Crescent, has valuable "left behind" adaptive diversity to multiple diseases and environmental stresses. The biotic and abiotic stress responses are conferred by series of genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control complex resistance pathways. The study of genetic diversity, genomic organization, expression profiles, protein structure and function of biotic and abiotic stress-resistance genes, and QTLs could shed light on the evolutionary history and adaptation mechanisms of wild emmer populations for their natural habitats. The continuous evolution and adaptation of wild emmer to the changing environment provide novel solutions that can contribute to safeguarding food for the rapidly growing human population.
与植物驯化相关的遗传瓶颈以及随后在人为农业生态系统中的选择，限制了现代作物的遗传多样性，并增加了它们对环境胁迫的脆弱性。野生二粒小麦是栽培小麦的四倍体祖先，分布在新月沃地广泛的生态地理条件下，具有宝贵的“遗留”适应性多样性，可以抵御多种疾病和环境胁迫。生物和非生物胁迫反应由一系列基因和数量性状位点 (QTL) 赋予，这些基因和 QTL 控制着复杂的抗性途径。对生物和非生物胁迫抗性基因和 QTL 的遗传多样性、基因组组织、表达谱、蛋白质结构和功能的研究，可以揭示野生二粒小麦群体在其自然栖息地的进化历史和适应机制。野生二粒小麦不断进化和适应不断变化的环境，为快速增长的人口提供了保障粮食安全的新方法。
