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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Improvement Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417214
Research Project: Improvement of Disease and Pest Resistance in Barley, Durum, Oat, and Wheat Using Genetics and Genomics

Location: Cereal Crops Improvement Research

Title: Elucidating genetic determinants for salt tolerance in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Author
item GUDI, SANTOSH - North Dakota State University
item GILL, HARSIMARDEEP - South Dakota State University
item COLLINS, SERENA - University Of California, Riverside
item SINGH, JATINDER - North Dakota State University
item Sandhu, Devinder
item SEHGAL, SUNISH - South Dakota State University
item UPINDER, GILL - North Dakota State University
item Gupta, Rajeev

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2024
Publication Date: 9/22/2024
Citation: Gudi, S., Gill, H.S., Collins, S., Singh, J., Sandhu, D., Sehgal, S., Upinder, G., Gupta, R. 2024. Elucidating genetic determinants for salt tolerance in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Meeting Abstract. Poster No. 20.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: High concentrations of soluble salts in soil or irrigation water cause salinity stress in various crops, including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Salinity stress affects the physiological, biochemical, and agronomic traits at various developmental stages of wheat, which significantly reduce the production potential of popular cultivars in major wheat-growing areas worldwide. Identifying and introducing salt tolerant genes into cultivars is crucial for maintaining sustainable yields under salt-affected conditions. In this study, we evaluated 228 diverse spring wheat accessions, the subset of exome sequenced panel, in greenhouse lysimeters at the US Salinity Laboratory, Riverside, CA. Evaluation was carried out under control (with electrical conductivity of irrigation water (ECiw = 1.46 dS m-1)) and salt stress (ECiw = 14 dS m-1). Salt stress significantly reduced shoot height (17.45%), root length (15.51%), tiller number (43.83%), shoot weight (44.61%), and root weight (35.82%) compared to control. However, there was a significant increase in root length by shoot height ratio (3.75%) and root weight by shoot weight ratio (28.02%) under salt stress. Based on seedling traits and their stress tolerance indexes, four highly salt-tolerant and four highly salt-sensitive lines were identified. Multi-locus genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using 297,104 SNPs identified 487 significant SNPs associated with seedling traits under control and salt stress. Among 487 SNPs, 14 were highly-significant (LOD > 6.77), 18 were significant (LOD = 5.9-6.67), and 455 were suggestive (LOD = 4.2-5.9). Furthermore, linkage disequilibrium (LD) based grouping consolidated 487 SNPs into 219 QTLs. Future studies must focus on developing molecular markers from these QTL regions to facilitate the marker-assisted transfer of candidate genomic regions from salt-tolerant lines into cultivar background. This will accelerate the development of salt-resilient wheat varieties, ensuring sustainable production in salt-affected areas.