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Acta Agronomica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 51 ›› Issue (2): 370-382.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2025.41036

• CROP GENETICS & BREEDING · GERMPLASM RESOURCES · MOLECULAR GENETICS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effect of vernalization and photoperiod genes and evaluation of cold tolerance for wheat landraces from Gansu province,China

YANG Fang-Ping1,GUO Ying1,TIAN Yuan-Yuan2,XU Yu-Feng3,WANG Lan-Lan4,BAI Bin1,ZHAN Zong-Bing1,ZHANG Xue-Ting1,XU Yin-Ping5,LIU Jin-Dong2,*   

  1. 1 Wheat Research Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China; 2 Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; 3 Wuwei National Climate Observatory, Wuwei 733021, Gansu, China; 4 Qingshui County Meteorological Bureau, Tianshui 741400, Gansu, China; 5 Institute of Beer and Raw Materials, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
  • Received:2024-05-20 Revised:2024-09-18 Accepted:2024-09-18 Online:2025-02-12 Published:2024-10-10
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by Key Research and Development Plan of Gansu Province Science and Technology Plan Project (23YFNA0033), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32060481, 32260485), and Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by the China Association for Science and Technology(2020QNRC001).

Abstract:

Winter-spring growth habit and photoperiodic response are two critical traits that determine the suitable cultivation areas for wheat. This study aimed to understand these traits in local wheat varieties from Gansu province by using molecular markers for the vernalization genes Vrn-1 and Vrn-B3, and the photoperiod gene Ppd-D1, to detect allelic variations and evaluate heading dates, winter-spring growth habits, and cold tolerance. The results indicated that 59.6% of the accessions carried only one dominant vernalization allele, with Vrn-D1 being the most common at a frequency of 67.4%. Other dominant vernalization alleles were primarily found in the spring wheat zone, with frequencies ranging from 0.5% to 11.0%. Varieties carrying two or three dominant vernalization alleles were rare (0.2%–8.9%). Additionally, 19.6% of varieties carried all recessive alleles, with this frequency increasing from the northwest to the southeast of Gansu. The photoperiod-insensitive allele Ppd-D1a had a frequency of 17.8%, and it was more prevalent in winter wheat zones than in spring wheat zones. In the winter wheat zones, varieties planted in autumn headed earlier than those in the spring wheat zones. Following spring planting, the frequency of headed varieties increased from the west to the center in the spring wheat zones, while it decreased from the southwest to the northeast in the winter wheat zones. The frequency of late-heading varieties was lower in spring wheat zones compared to winter wheat zones, where many varieties did not mature normally. After spring planting, the dominant vernalization alleles promoted flowering in the order of Vrn-A1a > Vrn-D1 > Vrn-B1. However, after autumn planting, the early heading effect of dominant vernalization alleles was not evident. For Ppd-D1b types, varieties with two or three dominant vernalization alleles headed later than those with a single dominant allele. In contrast, Ppd-D1a types displayed an additive effect of vernalization alleles, where Ppd-D1a significantly promoted flowering in wheat. There was a high consistency between the winter-spring growth habit determined phenotypically and that inferred from vernalization alleles, with habits gradually shifting from spring to winter types. Varieties with strong winter habits did not necessarily exhibit strong cold tolerance. However, most varieties with strong cold tolerance also exhibited strong winter growth habits.

Key words: wheat, landrace, Gansu, vernalization, photoperiod

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