Genetic variation for waterlogging tolerance in the Triticeae and the chromosomal location of genes conferring waterlogging tolerance in Thinopyrum elongatum.

A number of Triticeae species were tested for tiller production, shoot dry matter production, and root penetration in waterlogged soil, and Thinopyrum elongatum and Elytrigia repens were shown to have better tolerance than wheat using these criteria. Tests of a number of wheat-alien amphiploids showed that there was at least partial expression of this exotic genetic variation in a wheat genetic background. The presence of chromosomes 2E and 4E of Th. elongatum was associated with a positive effect on root growth in waterlogged conditions. The positive effect of the 4E chromosome addition was mimicked by tetrasomic lines carrying extra doses of wheat homoeologues 4B and 4D, and it was concluded that the beneficial effect contributed by the presence of 4E was probably due to an increased dosage of group 4 chromosomes. However, the positive effect of adding chromosome 2E to wheat could not be reproduced by added doses of chromosomes 2A, 2B, or 2D, suggesting that this alien chromosome carries gene(s) for tolerance not present on its wheat homoeologues. This gene(s) was further located to the long arm of chromosome 2E by testing ditelosomic addition lines.