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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #376344
Research Project: Trait Discovery, Genetics, and Enhancement of Allium, Cucumis, and Daucus Germplasm

Location: Vegetable Crops Research

Title: Tapping into wild carrot diversity for new sources of abiotic stress tolerance to strengthen carrot pre-breeding in Bangladesh and Pakistan

Author
item Simon, Philipp
item Rolling, William
item Senalik, Douglas
item BOLTON, ADAM - University Of Wisconsin
item RAHIM, MOHAMED - Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute
item MANNAN, MAJHARUL - Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute
item ISLAM, FERDOUSE - University Of Dhaka
item ALI, AAMIR - University Of Sargodha
item NIJABAT, ANEELA - University Of Sargodha
item NAVEED, NOHA - University Of Sargodha
item HUSSAIN, REHHMAN - University Of Sargodha
item IJAZ, ADEL - University Of Sargodha

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2020
Publication Date: 9/14/2020
Citation: Simon, P.W., Rolling, W.R., Senalik, D.A., Bolton, A., Rahim, M.A., Mannan, M., Islam, F., Ali, A., Nijabat, A., Naveed, N.H., Hussain, R., Ijaz, A. 2021. Tapping into wild carrot diversity for new sources of abiotic stress tolerance to strengthen carrot pre-breeding in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Crop Science. 61(1):163-176. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20333.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20333

Interpretive Summary: To feed future growing populations farmers need crops that yield more while being grown in harsher environments. Wild relatives of carrot grow in vacant lots and along roadsides as a common weed with little water around the world in very warm environments. This suggests that carrot breeders may be able to breed genes from wild carrots into future cultivated carrots. This study demonstrated that this suggestion is correct. We found that wild carrots are highly diverse, and that this diversity includes carrots able to grow in warm, dry climates with salty irrigation water in Bangladesh and Pakistan. New breeding populations were developed with carrots especially tolerant to harsh climates to incorporate this valuable diversity into breeding stocks to be used by future carrot breeders. This research is of interest to vegetable growers and seed companies, crop extension specialists, plant physiologists, and geneticists.

Technical Abstract: Crop wild relatives (CWR) of carrot including 64 germplasm accessions of Daucus carota L. subsp. carota, Daucus carota L. subsp. capillifolius, and Daucus carota L. subsp. gummifer, as well as two accessions of another 18 chromosome species, Daucus syrticus Murb., were grown in field trials to flowering under conditions of heat, drought and salinity stress in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Plant growth before floral initiation was evaluated and plants were allowed to progress to flowering to evaluate seed production. A wide range of response was observed among entries ranging from no germination or plant death early in development to vigorous growth. Carrots grown under optimal conditions in the greenhouse served as a useful control to estimate tolerance indices in the field. New sources of heat and drought tolerance were identified with similar performance in both countries. Ecogeographic analysis demonstrated that environmental parameters at the collection location of germplasm was associated with heat and drought tolerance observed in field trials. Plants evaluated for tolerance were allowed to flower and seed was produced on selected plants with abiotic stress tolerance to develop populations or breeding pools, and to initiate the development of carrots better adapted to climatic abiotic stress.