Synthetic Hexaploid Wheat Contributes Favorable Alleles for Yield In An Advanced Backcross QTL Winter Wheat Population.

Great Plains winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) would benefit from additional genetic diversity for agronomic traits. We used advanced backcross quantitative trait locus (AB-QTL) analysis to identify QTL for yield and yield components from a cross between the winter wheat cultivar Ankor and the synthetic hexaploid-derived spring wheat line Sokoll. Replicated field trials were grown in Colorado in three years. In 2007, 230 BC₂F₂ families were grown in partially and fully irrigated conditions. In 2008 and 2009, 188 BC₂F_2:3 lines were grown in partially and fully irrigated conditions. Phenotypic data were collected for agronomic, developmental, and morphological traits. An F₂ population derived from the parents was genotyped with 151 microsatellite markers to provide a framework map, and 42 of these markers were genotyped in the BC₂F_2:3 generation for single factor QTL analysis. Sokoll contributed the favorable allele for 16 (48.5%) of the 33 QTL identified. In addition, 10 QTL were novel and accounted for 3.6 to 10.2% of the phenotypic variation for test weight, days to physiological maturity, kernel weight, and spike length. Ankor contributed the favorable allele at six of these novel QTL, and Sokoll contributed the favorable allele at the other four QTL. The Sokoll allele was detected at least once in all five environments and for six of the nine traits measured. Our study indicated that favorable alleles for agronomic traits can be transferred to elite cultivars using the AB-QTL strategy.