Development of Wheat Breeding Material Mediated wide Hybridization Response to Climate Change

This study is to develop new wheat breeding material through wide hybridization with wild species harboring useful characteristics such as salt, heat, and drought tolerance. Leymus mollis, wild rye was used to improve wheat genetic quality. L. mollis, is a perennial plant harboring tolerance against salt, heat, and drought because L. mollis distributes on the seaside. The F₁ hybrids were produced by crossing between common wheat (Triticum aestivum L., Chinese Spring) and L. mollis. Genomic in situ hybridization revealed that the F₁ hybrids have L. mollis genome. For the evaluation of salt and drought tolerance, seeds from the F₂ were used. Under 2% NaCl solution, the F₃ wheat-Leymus addition plants with salt tolerance showed more tillering and longer roots than other F₃ plants without salt tolerance. Also, the F₃ plants with salt tolerance showed better shallow-rooted than other F₃ plants without salt tolerance. Finally, the F₃ plants with salt tolerance made seed-setting under 2% NaCl condition, but other F₃ plants without salt tolerance were not. Under drought conditions, the F₃ plants with drought tolerance showed longer culm and spike length than other F₃ plants without drought tolerance and even those of Chinese Spring under well-water conditions. We evaluated and selected the F₃ plants with salt or drought tolerance for generation advancement.