Phenotypic and Genotypic Diversity of Roots Response to Salt in Durum Wheat Seedlings
Author(s)
Date Issued
2023
Type
article
Volume
12
Issue
2
Start Page
1
End Page
19
Journal
Abstract
Soil salinity is a serious threat to food production now and in the near future. In this study, the root system of six durum wheat genotypes, including one highly salt-tolerant (J. Khetifa) used as a check genotype, was evaluated, by a high-throughput phenotyping system, under control and salt conditions at the seedling stage. Genotyping was performed using 11 SSR markers closely linked with genome regions associated with root traits. Based on phenotypic cluster analysis, genotypes were grouped differently under control and salt conditions. Under control conditions, genotypes were clustered mainly due to a root angle, while under salt stress, genotypes were grouped according to their capacity to maintain higher roots length, volume, and surface area, as J. Khetifa, Sebatel, and Azeghar. SSR analysis identified a total of 42 alleles, with an average of about three alleles per marker. Moreover, quite a high number of Private alleles in total, 18 were obtained. The UPGMA phenogram of the Nei (1972) genetic distance clusters for 11 SSR markers and all phenotypic data under control conditions discriminate genotypes almost into the same groups. The study revealed as the combination of high-throughput systems for phenotyping with SSR markers for genotyping it’s a useful tool to provide important data for the selection of suitable parental lines for salt-tolerance breeding. Nevertheless, the narrow root angle, which is an important trait in drought tolerance, is not a good indicator of salt tolerance. Instated salt tolerance is more important than the number of roots.
Subjects
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Name
plants-12-00412-v3.pdf
Size
2.1 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
6a7cff84f0be63067f024937b5024ad5
Project(s)
grant agreement No 771367 (ECOBREED project)
European Union Next-GenerationEU (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR)—missione 4 componente 2, investimento 1.4—D.D. 1032 17/06/2022, CN00000022).