Zapata Sandra L, Schulthess Albert W, El Hanafi Samira, Schmidt Renate H, Hinterberger Valentin, Li Guoliang, Boeven Philipp H G, Chu Jianting, Gils Mario, Jiang Yong, Philipp Norman, Varenne Pierrick, Spiller Monika, Reif Jochen C
Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben, Corrensstraße 3, D-06466 Seeland, Germany.
Limagrain GmbH, Salderstraße 4, 31226 Peine-Rosenthal, Germany.
J Exp Bot. 2025 Jul 2. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eraf280.
Hybrid wheat offers significant benefits such as increased yield and high yield stability. Despite this, the commercial adoption of wheat hybrids has been limited, primarily due to the high cost of hybrid seed production. Improving its efficiency requires a deeper understanding of key traits influencing hybrid seed set and their genetic bases. This study examines traits contributing to seed set beyond anther extrusion. Field trials were conducted across six environments using two European winter wheat cultivars, PIKO and HERMANN, and their derived double haploid population. Traits such as flowering time, visual anther extrusion, and plant height were measured. Field assessments of pollen shed were conducted to identify effective male pollen donors. Furthermore, traits including the interaction between male and female lines were examined. A quantitative trait locus on chromosome 1B was found for seed set, paving the way for marker-assisted selection. Our findings underscore the importance of considering traits beyond anther extrusion and pollen shed for cost-efficient hybrid seed production. Preselecting lines based on the begin and duration of male flowering, nicking, and plant height promise to be particularly effective. Consequently, breeders can significantly increase the amount of seed set by focusing on a reduced number of key traits.
杂交小麦具有显著优势，如产量增加和高产稳定性。尽管如此，小麦杂交种的商业应用一直有限，主要原因是杂交种子生产成本高昂。提高其效率需要更深入地了解影响杂交结实的关键性状及其遗传基础。本研究考察了除花药伸出之外对结实有贡献的性状。使用两个欧洲冬小麦品种PIKO和HERMANN及其衍生的双单倍体群体，在六种环境下进行了田间试验。测量了开花时间、可见花药伸出和株高等性状。进行了田间花粉散落评估，以确定有效的雄性花粉供体。此外，还研究了包括雄性和雌性品系之间相互作用在内的性状。在1B染色体上发现了一个与结实相关的数量性状位点，为标记辅助选择铺平了道路。我们的研究结果强调了在进行经济高效的杂交种子生产时，考虑除花药伸出和花粉散落之外的性状的重要性。基于雄性开花的开始时间和持续时间、最佳杂交组合以及株高对品系进行预选有望特别有效。因此，育种者通过关注数量更少的关键性状，能够显著提高结实量。
