Introducing useful genetic variation in Bulgarian hexaploid wheat (cv. Fermer) through radiation mutagenesis approach
Zlatina Uhr
, Evgeniy Dimitrov
, Radoslav Chipilski
, Teodora Angelova
, Nikolai K. Christov
, Stefan Tsonev
, Elena Todorovska
Abstract: Mutation is an effective strategy not only for creating novel variation into crop genome, but also for direct releasing adapted and high-yielding genotypes. In this study, radiation induced mutagenesis (gamma rays of 200 and 250 Gy) was applied, to develop new mutant lines of Bulgarian wheat cv. Fermer with improved agronomic characteristics, focused on higher biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, and bread making quality traits. The selection was carried out in the second season (M2-M4), according to morpho-physiological and yield characteristics: plant height; spike length; grain yield per spike and disease tolerance. Backcross of highly susceptible to P. graminis mutant plants (M2 generation) with parental genotype - cv. Fermer was performed for purifying selection of the mutant phenotype. In M 5, for the first year, the yield is monitored in a control experiment (10 m2 in 1 replication). By monitoring the traits of plant height, resistance to some economically important diseases and bread making quality traits. The reported studies are carried out in M5, when it is expected that we have conducted sufficiently long selection on the traits. The selected mutant lines (M5 generation) showed clear phenotype variations, including low and high plant height. For the complete evaluation, a physiological assessment was carried out, including chlorophyll content index (CCI) and photosynthesis activity measurements. Technological assessment for grain (sedimentation value; grain vitreousness; fermentation number; crude protein; wet gluten content; gluten release ; dry luten) and bread, and making strong index. Phytopathological evaluation was performed to establish the resistance of the mutant lines to economically important diseases (leaf rust (Puccinia recondite f.sp. tritici), yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici), powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici), septoria (Septoria tritici). The study confirms the usefulness of radiation induced mutagenesis as a promising tool to improve important agronomic traits in wheat. The obtained results highlighted the importance of these doses of applied mutagens to induce useful genetic variability in bread wheat, for improving grain yield and contributing.
The molecular characterization of M5 lines using SSR and other DNA markers identified mutant alleles in some of the selected lines, thus confirming that the observed phenotype differences reflect the changes at DNA level. Taken together, the presented results demonstrate that the applied doses of Gamma ray induced useful variation in wheat cv. Fermer at both phenotype and DNA level. Some of the mutant M5 lines showed improved agronomic and technological traits.
Keywords: agronomic traits; hexaploid wheat (T. aestivum L.); molecular markers; mutagenesis; radiation
Citation: Uhr, Z., Dimitrov, E., Chipilski, R., Angelova, T., Christov, N. K., Tsonev, S. & Todorovska, E. (2026). Introducing useful genetic variation in Bulgarian hexaploid wheat (cv. Fermer) through radiation mutagenesis approach. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 32(1), 159–172
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