Eincorn wheat: domestication sequences and breeding value

Abstract

Aim. Evaluation of phenotypic characteristics of the eincorn wheat gene pool accessions as a source material for breeding improvement and establishment of regularities related to the domestication degree. Results and Discussion. The complex of eincorn wheat accessions traits as a source material for the revival of this ancient crop in the cereals assortment in Ukraine. It was found in this research that during the transition from wild to cultivated eincorn wheat, the stem height and length of the upper internode, the grain number per spike decreased; the plant development rate, the kernel weight per spike and the weight of 1000 kernels increased. At the same time, the weight of entire spike and the spikelet number per spike did not change. The traits of the cultivated eincorn are more correlated than those of the wild one which indicates a greater physiological homeostasis of the wild ancestral species and lesser one of the cultivated species. The clustering of the accessions by 10 traits made it possible to divide thems, along with the cultivation degree, into groups that are differentially significant for breeding. Proposals for the rational use of eincorn wheat accessions in breeding were formulated. It is concluded that the biological mechanism of the emergence of cultivated durum wheat from wild wheat is the hereditary stop of ontogeny at a late stage, i.e. neoteny. Conclusions. When switching eincorn wheat from wild to cultivated state, the stem height and length of the upper internode decreased while the weight of grain per spike and the weight of 1000 grains increased. At the same time, the weight of the spike and the spikelet number per spike did not change, the grain number in the spke decreased. The traits of the cultivated eincorn are more correlated than those of the wild one. This indicates that the wild forms is more physiologically homeostatic than the cultivated forms. Domestication led to a weakening of this property. The clustering of the accessions by 10 traits allowed us to divide them into groups that are differentially significant for breeding. The accessions of the first group should be used to increase the productivity of varieties; the accessions of the second group should be used to create varieties with reduced stem height, increased grain and easier threshing; the accessions of the third group should be used to create varieties with large and productive spikes. The biological mechanism that led to the emergence of cultivated eincorn from the wild is the hereditary stop of ontogeny at a late stage, i.e. neoteny.