Recent developments in durum wheat chromosome engineering

Transfer of alien chromosome segments from various Triticeae species into cultivated wheats, commonly referred to as "chromosome engineering", is currently benefiting from the recent, impressive advancements in molecular genetics, cytogenetics and genomics, which are providing new insights into the genetic and physical organization of even complex plant genomes, such as those of the Triticeae. The powerful analytical tools presently available are making the assessment of desired genotypes in the course of chromosome engineering far more precise and effective than in the past, thus giving this transfer strategy renewed and increased potential for meaningful practical achievements. Examples are given here of the application of such tools to the engineering of the durum wheat genome with small alien segments containing genes with beneficial impact on disease resistance and quality traits.