Development and identification of an elite wheat-Hordeum californicum T6HcS/6BL translocation line ND646 containing several desirable traits

Hordeum californicum (H. californicum, 2n=2X=14, H(c)H(c)), one of the wild relatives of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), harbors many desirable genes and is a potential genetic resource for wheat improvement. In this study, an elite line ND646 was selected from a BC(4)F(5) population, which was developed using (60)Co-γ irradiated wheat-H. californicum disomic addition line WJ28-1 (DA6H(c)) as the donor parent and Ningchun 4 as the recurrent parent. ND646 was identified as a novel wheat-H. californicum 6H(c)S/6BL translocation line using genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and H. californicum-specific expressed sequence tag (EST) markers. Further evaluation revealed that ND646 had excellent performance in several traits, such as a higher sedimentation value (SV), higher water absorption rate (WAR), and higher hardness index (HI). More importantly, it had more kernels per spike (KPS), a higher grain yields (GY), and good resistance to powdery mildew, leaf rust, and 2,4-D butylate (2,4-D). Its excellent phenotypic performance laid the foundation for further investigation of its genetic architecture and makes ND646 a useful germplasm resource for wheat breeding.