Wheat Research

Genetic improvement includes all the activities which, starting from crosses, leads to the creation of fixed lines with better characteristics. The first step of this highly complex process consists of defining the objectives, which have to include all aspects involving the use of varieties in the production chain, from the farmer to the final consumer.

Every year at the Research Centre many crosses are obtained, to create new segregating materials. Even on the early generations, qualitative analysis are performed in the PSB laboratories, allowing the materials to be selected to fit the particular characteristics required by the market. In successive phases the agronomic characteristics of the fixed lines are assessed, as well as their resistance to the most common diseases in the main areas of cultivation in Italy and abroad, to guarantee high and stable yield in different environments.

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Development of innovative tools for genetic selection

Basic research consists mainly of the development of innovative tools and methods for genetic selection. Developed in collaboration with national and international Research Institutions, much of this activity concerns the genomics of durum wheat and mainly involves the identification of molecular markers (DNA sequences known to be associated with particular traits) and their application to selection for agronomic and qualitative characteristics. The main aim is to identify sequences of DNA strictly linked to interesting characteristics, in order to enable genetic selection through direct analysis of the genome, obtaining very high efficiency compared to traditional approaches.

This research is carried out through the combined analysis of the genotype (DNA) and of the phenotype (assessment in the field, in laboratories and in greenhouses), using genetic material that has been expressly developed for this purpose, such as mapping populations, and collections of different lines and varieties. The main traits studied involve: water and nitrogen use efficiency, diseases resistance, quality characteristics of the main kernel components (starch and protein) and the physiology of the plant.

MAS - Marker Assisted Selection

MAS (Marker Assisted Selection) consists in the selection of genotypes based on analysis of molecular markers, which are associated with the specific characteristics required. This is an example of innovation transfer from basic research, through breeding to the production chain. The first case of use of these methods at PSB Research Division was for the selection of resistant varieties of common and durum wheat to Fusarium Head Blight (FHB). FHB, in fact, occurs with varying regularity, depending on the environmental conditions, making traditional selection conducted only on phenotype not very efficient.

This approach enabled to select directly at the level of the genotype independently from any phenotypic expression of the character. Other similar projects have been set up, combining the selection directly made at DNA level (genotype selection) with traditional techniques, particularly for the pyramiding of resistance genes to diseases, for introgression in PSB varieties of QTLs (Quantitative Traits Loci) for resistance to diseases and for quality characteristics.

The introduction of MAS into programs of genetic improvement enables PSB to select segregating material in controlled environments (in greenhouses and the phytotron) speeding up the process considerably and increasing efficiency in all phases.

National and International cooperations

PSB research is based on the opportunity to access highly specialized competences, even in very different areas, whose application contributes towards genetic improvement. PSB Research Division is involved in long-term cooperation with many Italian and International Research Institutions in the context of research projects mainly concerning the areas of genomics, applied genetics, plant pathology and physiology. The aim is to deepen and broaden the research connections, creating a network of various institutions of excellence, in which PSB acts as a mean of contact with the world of industrial production.

Following are the most significant and long-established cooperation partners: DISTA (Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroambientali at the University of Bologna), Istituto di Genomica Applicata (IGA), Università della Tuscia (Viterbo), CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico), one of the most important international research centres in the breeding of durum wheat, ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas in Syria), an international centre for agricultural research in arid zones, and Rothamsted Research (UK).