Development of Triticale × Wheat Prebreeding Germplasm With Loci for Slow-Rusting Resistance

There is a growing interest in breeding and production of hexaploid triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack ex A. Camus) in European Union and in the world. It is reported that triticale can be an alternative to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for livestock feed production and has a potential to become preferred industrial energy crop. Fungal diseases, mainly leaf and stripe rusts, are the limiting factors of triticale growth and yield. Geneticists and breeders are now focusing on accumulation of the major genes for durability of rust resistance. Slow-rusting genes Lr34/Yr18 and Lr46/Yr19 are being exploited in many wheat breeding programs. This type of horizontal resistance is reported to be effective over space and time. Classical breeding techniques supported by marker-assisted selection (MAS) are the main tools in breeding programs. The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of transfer of slow-rusting genes from resistant genotypes of wheat into hexaploid triticale through cross-hybridizations. A total of 5,094 manual pollinations were conducted between two triticale cultivars Fredro and Twingo and 33 accessions of common wheat, which were reported as sources of slow-rusting resistance genes. The investigation of the slow-rusting gene transmission was performed using both molecular markers analyses and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). In total, 34 F1 hybrid plants were obtained, and 29 of them carried both slow-rusting loci. Therefore, these hybrids may be used for triticale prebreeding program.