https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.58.01.20.6531

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Identification of Durum Wheat Cultivars and Their Tetraploid Relatives with Low Cadmium Content

Mehmet Tekin¹, Ahmet Cat², Sahriye Sönmez³and Taner Akar¹*

¹Akdeniz University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops, 07059 Antalya, Turkey

²Akdeniz University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection, 07059 Antalya, Turkey

³Akdeniz University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Science, 07059 Antalya, Turkey

Article history:

Received: 8 October 2019

Accepted: 29 March 2020

Key words:

durum wheat characterization, low Cd content, tetraploid wheat, marker-assisted breeding

Summary:

In this study, 71 durum wheat cultivars (Triticum durum Desf.), 22 emmer wheat (Triticumdicoccum L.) and 11 wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides L.) genotypes were genetically characterizedto determine the alleles associated with high cadmium (Cd) content. After genotypiccharacterization, 14 cultivars selected among all genotypes with low and high Cd contentwere phenotyped by a pot experiment to verify the genotypic data. Identification of 32 durumwheat, one emmer wheat and four wild emmer genotypes showed that they have allelesassociated with high Cd content, while 68 genotypes of which 39 durum wheat, 21 emmerwheat and 7 wild emmer cultivars had alleles associated with low Cd content. Moreover, phenotypicdata obtained from pot experiment were similar to the molecular data. To sum up, themarker successfully classified durum wheat cultivars into either high or low accumulators andthese results can be safely used in breeding programs to improve new durum wheat cultivarswith alleles associated with low Cd content. Due to routine use of phosphorus fertilizers inagricultural areas and other anthropogenic factors related to Cd toxicity, new durum wheatcultivars with low Cd content should be urgently developed for safe production of macaronior other types of wheat products for human and animal consumption.