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Published on: July 16, 2019
Genetic analysis of wheat domestication and evolution under domestication
Zvi Peleg1, Tzion Fahima, Abraham B Korol
1The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Journal of Experimental Botany
|July 23, 2011
Summary
Wheat domestication involved complex genetic changes, including a single gene for brittle rachis. Evolution under domestication, not just domestication itself, shaped key agronomic traits like yield.
Area of Science:
- * Agricultural Science
- * Genetics
- * Plant Biology
Background:
- * Wheat is a globally significant food staple with a long history of domestication.
- * Understanding the genetic basis of wheat domestication and evolution is crucial for crop improvement.
- * Previous assumptions about a protracted domestication process require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the genetic modifications during wheat domestication and evolution.
- * To test assumptions about the duration and complexity of the domestication process.
- * To reveal the genomic underpinnings of wheat domestication and its subsequent evolution.
Main Methods:
- * Utilized a tetraploid recombinant inbred line population from a durum wheat and wild emmer cross.
- * Mapped the brittle rachis (Br) gene to chromosome 2A.
- * Identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with threshability and yield components.
Main Results:
- * The brittle rachis (Br) gene was mapped to chromosome 2A, suggesting a complex genetic model for spike brittleness.
- * Twenty-seven QTLs for threshability and yield components were identified, indicating numerous genomic changes during wheat evolution.
- * The Br gene showed no association with threshability or yield, suggesting independent evolutionary pathways.
Conclusions:
- * Wheat evolution under domestication involved extensive genomic changes, impacting multiple traits.
- * Changes in spike threshability and agronomic traits result from ongoing evolution post-domestication.
- * Clarifying the genomic basis of wheat domestication and evolution enhances understanding of wheat biology and aids crop improvement.
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