The influence of wheat–rye parental species on the protein characteristics of primary triticale

Abstract

The influence of parental tetraploid wheats (Triticum turgidum L.) and diploid ryes (Secale cereale L.) of predetermined protein content on the protein characteristics of derived hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) triticale amphidiploids (× Triticosecale Wittmack) was investigated. Although the two parental species contributed independently to the protein content of the derived triticale. the maternal wheat parent had a greater influence than did the rye parent. Thus, triticales derived from combinations of wheat × rye of "high × high" protein content were themselves of high protein content, followed in descending order of protein by "high × low," "low × high." and "low × low" combinations. The difference in protein content of triticales derived from the reciprocal combinations of the wheat–rye protein groups (i.e., high × low versus low × high) was significant. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analyses of extracted prolamine from the triticale amphidiploids and their parents revealed that polymorphism can exist in the protein banding patterns of any given population. As expected, the degree of polymorphism was greatest in those triticale populations synthesized from open-pollinated heterozygous rye strains, but polymorphism was also seen within some amphidiploid populations derived from inbred (S6–S8) parental ryes. For purposes of biological studies, it is important to recognize the genetic heterogeneity that can still exist within populations of plant species and their hybrids assumed to be genetically and chromosomally stable.Key words: × Triticosecale Wittmack, protein electrophoresis, wheat–rye hybrids, amphidiploids.