Perennial Wheat: Challenges and Opportunities

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Perennial Wheat Challenges and
Opportunities Kevin Murphy Winter Wheat
Breeding and Genetics Dept of Crop and Soil
Sciences Washington State University
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Soil Erosion

• Perennial crop more than 50 x more effective
  than annual crops in maintaining topsoil (Gantzer
  et al. 1990)

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Nitrogen leaching

• Nitrogen losses from annuals 30 to 50 x higher
  than from perennials (Randall and Mulla, 2001)

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2006 Survey
Growers interest () in planting perennial wheat
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Breeding approaches

• Wide hybridization
• Annual crops supply genes for domestication and
  high yield
• Perennial relatives supply genes for regrowth and
  disease resistance

Th. elongatum (2n2X14)
T. aestivum (2n6X42) Madsen

• Challenges
• Unequal chromosome number
• Sterility
• Deleterious genes / linkage drag

X
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Evolution of Wheat
Einkorn
Photos UC-Davis Bio-OZ
http//www.newhallmill.org.uk/wht-evol.htm
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Regrowth after Harvest
CS
CS 4E
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Marker Assisted Selection
Chromosome 4E
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Where are we now?Grain Yield
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Where are we now?Regrowth after Harvest
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Nutritional Value
a
a
b
a
b
b
3 Locations (P0.05)
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Sorghum
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Sunflower

• Maximilian Sunflower (H. maximiliani)
• Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus)

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Thank you ! Questions?