Hereditas 116: 175-1 78 (1992) Desirable characteristics in perennial collected in for wheat improvement

Y. S. DONG', R. H. ZHOU', S. J. XU', L. H. LI', Y. CAUDERON2 and R. R-C. WANG3

' Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 1OOO81, People's Republic of China INRA, 15 Avenue Mirabeau, 78000 Versaiiles, France ' USDA-ARS, Forage and Range Research, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-6300, USA

DONG,Y. S., ZHOU, R. H., Xu, S. J., LI, L. H., CAUDERON,Y. and WANG,R. R-C. 1992. Desirable characteristics in perennial Triticeae collected in China for wheat improvement. - Hereditas 116: 175- 178. Lund, Sweden. ISSN 0018-0661. Received August 2, 1991. Accepted November 19, 1991

Perennial Triticeae in China contain an enormous gene pool that has a great potential for Wheat improvement. Collecting expeditions to 12 provinces of Northern China have been carried out. It has been found that most collections of mongolicum, A. cristatum, A. desertorurn, and chinensis, L. secalinus are drought tolerant, and that some collections of Hordeum brevisubularum, Leymus chinensis are tolerant to saline-alkali soil. 443 accessions of perennial Triticeae were screened for resistance to powdery mildew, 248 accessions and 93 accessions were screened for resistance to BYDV strains PAV and RPV, respecitvely, and some resistant to the diseases were found. A brief description of utilization of perennial Triticeae for wheat improvement in China is given in this paper.

Y. S. Dong, Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Chinese Academy of Agriculrural Sciences, Beijing 10008/, People's Republic of China

Genetic diversity is the prerequisite in breeding to several diseases, valuable germplasm was iden- efforts for crop improvement. The genetic base of tified. In this brief report, the observations are wheat in world production is narrowing. summarized. When this genetic variation is exhausted, the breeders must look for variations in alien species. It has become necessary to collect, evaluate, and Tolerance to environmental stresses utilize wild germplasm for wheat breeding. China is one of the major distribution areas of perennial Agropyron mongolicum, A. cristatum, A. deserto- Triticeae. There are about 100 species of perennial rum, Leymus chinensis, and L. secalinus grow in Triticeae grasses in China (Kuo 1987). Roegneria arid and semi-arid areas of China. Most of them consists of about 70 species, and is the largest and are drought tolerant. In Abaga Banner of Inner most widely distributed genus. Ranked second and Mongolia, A. mongolicum grows vigorously in third are and Leymus, with 11 and 9 spe- sandy soil on the edge of Hunshandac desert with cies, respectively. Minor genera include Hordeum only 250 mm annual precipitation. Agropyron (5-6 species), Agropyron (4- 5 species), Psathy- cristatum and A. desertorurn are widely distributed rostachys (4 species), Elytrigia and Thinopyrum in the Artemisia frigida steppe and Deyuxia steppe (2-3 species), and Hystrix (2 species). A team of in Inner Mongolia. Agropyron cristatum survives Chinese scientists conducted exploration well in rock crevices near hill tops in Xiujumqin throughout Xinjiang in 1982-83. Additional expe- Banner, an area having only 350 mm annual rain- ditions to 12 provinces of northern China since fall. On the edge of Gurbantunggut Desert in 1986 have been carried out under the financial northwest Qitai County of Xinjiang, L. chinensis support of the IBPGR and the Chinese Natural usually grows at the base of half-fixed or moving Science Foundation. Meanwhile, notes on their sand , where only Salix purpurea grows. Near habitat environment and chromosome number for the edge of Maowusu Desert of Yanchi County, each accession, have been obtained. Upon screen- Ninxia, we found vigorously growing L. secalinus ing some of the collected accessions for resistance with several meters of exposed due to 176 Y. s. DONG ET AL. Heredim I16 (1992) wind erosion. In Tulufan of Xinjiang, air relative Table 2. Perennial Triticeae in Chinese collection screened for humidity is 37 %, thus L. secalinus collected in this resistance to barley dwarf virus strain PAV BYDV (PAV) area might also be highly drought tolerant. In ~ ~ ~ Genus No species No. accessions* addition, Roegneria alashanica must be drought screened tolerant, for it is the dominant species on both Total I HR R S sides of Helan Mountains, where 200-300 mm an- Elytrigia 2 3 3 nual precipitation falls. Hordeum 3 14 11 I 2 Leymus chinensis is the dominant component of Psathyrosfaehys 3 4 I1 2 a hilly highland, Heutenliang, located in the south- Agropyron 5 25 31 219 Roegneria II 41 31 538 ern Xilingole of Inner Mongolia, where wind and Elymus 10 Ill 36 16 15 44 lack of snow result in temperatures as low as Lzymus 6 44 286 5 5 -44°C. Both A. cristatum and E. dahuricus are Total 40 248 85 26 27 110 also found in this area. These grasses are certainly * I immune HR highly resistant winter hardy. R resistant S susceptible of the genus Hordeum often grow in saline swamps, i.e., H. brevisubulatum grows on meadows where the soil pH is 7.0-7.5. It can grow nearly immune to powdery mildew (Table 1). vigorously on Achnatherum splendens land where Resistance was found in the following species: pH is 7.5-8.0. Leymus chinensis is tolerant to Elytrigia repens, Thinopyrum ponticum, Hordeum saline-alkali soil. It grows very well in Xilingole brevisubulatum, H. bogdanii, Psathyrostachys grass-land of Inner Mongolia and Baichen of Jiling juncea, Agropyron cristatum, A. michnoi, Roegneria province, where the soils had pH values of 7-8. It kamoji, R. ciliaris, R. multiculmis, Elymus sibiricus, was also found vigorously growing along the irri- E. cylindricus, E. nutans, and Leymus racemosus. gation canals and beside crop fields at the coast of Many researchers indicated that there was no the Bohai Sea. Leymus secalinus, on the other resistance to barley yellow dwarf viruses (BYDV) in hand, can only survive on slightly saline-alkali soil the genus Triticum, but many species of perennial but it is very tolerant to lime soils. In Fangshan Triticeae are resistant. In 1989, S. J. Xu carried out County of Shanxi province, L. secalinus was grow- a screening program of 248 accessions belonging to ing nearby an abandoned limekiln where no other 37 species of screened 7 genera collected in China. plants existed. Resistance to BYDV strain PAV was screened, using the ELISA procedure at the CSIRO Plant Industry Division, Canberra, Australia. The result Resistance to diseases showed 85 accessions (38 %) being immune to the PAV strain of BYDV (Table 2). Immun- In 1988-89, 448 accessions of 85 native and intro- ity was found in the following species: Elytrigia duced perennial species were screened for resis- repens, Hordeum brevisubulatum, H. violaceum, tance to powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis DC). Leymus angustus, L. chinensis, L. multicaulis, L. Forty-five (10 %) accessions were immune or racemosus, L. secalinus, Elymus cylindricus, E.

Table 1. Perennial Triticeae in Chinese collection screened for resistance to powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis DC)

Genus No. species No. accessions No. accessions screened screened Resistant %

Elyfrigia 2 15 7 46.1 Hordeum 4 24 7 29.2 Psafhyrostaehys 5 6 I 16.7 Agropyron 6 32 4 12.5 Roegneria 22 97 12 12.4 Elymus 10 172 10 1.9 Lzymus 8 73 2 2.7 Others 24 29 2 6.9 Total 81 448 45 10.0 Heredifas 116 (1992) TRITICEAE IN CHINA FOR WHEAT IMPROVEMENT 177

Table 3. Perennial Triticeae in Chinese collection screened for resistance to barley yellow dwarf virus (RPV)

Genus No. species No. accessions Immune screened screened No. accessions %

Agropyron 1 5 3 60.0 Hordeum I 6 2 33.3 Elymus 4 43 11 25.6 Roegneria 8 19 4 21.1 Leymus 1 17 I 5.9 Elyrrigia 1 3 0 0.0 Total 16 93 21 22.6

dahuricus, E. sibiricus, E. tangutorum, E. villifer, progenies of hybrids of wheat with and tetraploid Agropyron cristatum. and Psathyrostachys huashanica. In 1989-90, further testing for resistance to CHENet al. (1984) and LI et al. (1987) obtained BYDV strain RPV of 93 accessions belonging to hybrids between wheat and barley. DONG et al. 16 species of 6 genera was made in Beijing, and (1986) crossed common wheat with L. racemosus 22.6 % of the tested material was found to be and L. multicaulis. Plants resistant the BYDV and resistant (Table 3). Resistance to both spell and morphologically similar to wheat were recovered in RPV and PAV strains of BYDV can be found in the combination T. aestivum x L. multicaulis. Hy- some species, such as Elymus dahuricus, E. sibiri- brids between Triticum aestivum and Psathy- cus, E. cylindricus, Agropyron cristatum, Leymus rostachys juncea and its backcross plants were chinensis, Hordeum brevisubulatum, Roegneria cil- obtained by CHENet al. ( 1988). LI and DONG( 1990, iaris, and R. turczaninouii. Overall, in screened 1991) obtained hybrids of wheat with A. desertorum Triticeae materials, more accessions were resistant and A.,michnoi and then directly from F, plants to strain PAV, but less were resistant to strain obtained both backcross and selfing progenies. RPV. Higher rate of resistance to PAV strain was There are many ongoing programs of wide hy- found in genera Elytrigia, Hordeum, Leymus, and bridization of wheat with its perennial relatives. Elymus; and to RPV was found in Agropyron, Therefore, the prospects of utilization of perennial Hordeum, Elymus, and Roegneria. Triticeae for wheat improvement are promising.

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