Introgression Hybridization of Wheat: Is it Possible to Develop, Maintain Over Time, and Use Introgression Lines of Common Wheat for Their Intended Purpose?

The results of the study of introgression lines of common wheat are presented, showing that their origin is associated with the incorporation of alien genetic material from diploid wheat relatives into their genomes. It has been shown that lines derived from genome substitution amphidiploids Aurodes (AABBSS), Aurosis (AABBSshSsh), and Aurolata (AABBUU) are characterized by high cytological stability, which is expressed in the absolute predominance of plants with a modal chromosome number of 42. Lines derived from Aurosis are characterized by a greater deviation of the karyotype from the standard one for common wheat, which is possibly explained by the presence of the “cuckoo” chromosome in the Aurosis genome, known for its mutagenic effect. Lines derived from Aurotica differ in cytological stability. More stable lines are characterized by the loss of an alien trait, in particular, resistance to powdery mildew. The genome structure of introgression lines in terms of its similarity to the common wheat genome is revealed by studying meiotic chromosome configurations in metaphase 1 of hybrids between common wheat varieties and lines. Lines derived from Aurodes, Aurosis, and Aurolata, which have passed at least 30 generations since their development, demonstrate a much higher similarity in genome structure to common wheat varieties, and the pattern of meiosis in hybrids does not differ from that of the Aurora variety. Lines derived from Aurotica, which have passed two to three generations after their development, when hybridized with common wheat varieties, demonstrate a significant weakening of homology with wheat chromosomes. This is manifested by the formation of a significant number of univalents and rod bivalents in metaphase 1 during the meiosis of hybrids. In general, for all lines, the increase in cytological stability in individual plants of the lines compared to other plants of the same lines is accompanied by the loss of the alien trait of interest by such plants.