Productivity and characteristics of triticale (xTriticosecale Wittm.) dihaploid lines

Hristo Stoyanov, Valentin Baychev, Ivan Belchev

Abstract: The biotechnology methods are a major part of the contemporary breeding. The anther culture method plays a particularly important role for the acceleration of the breeding process in cereals and for achieving fast uniformity of the hybrid material. The double haploid (DH) lines of triticale developed by this method are especially important in the breeding of triticale, as well, due to the complex genome of the crop and the respective higher complexity of the breeding process. In order to determine the efficiency of the anther culture method for production of high-yielding and stable lines of triticale, 1448 DH lines were tested and evaluated under field conditions during 2013-2016. Out of this number, 145 lines were investigated in a control nursery, 12 lines – in a preliminary varietal trial, and 8 – in a competitive varietal trial. The grown DH lines possessed high production potential; DH line 157Т/9-4 yielding more than 800 kg/da during harvest years 2015 and 2016 and exceeding the mean standard with over 10%. This line was characterized with very high ecological plasticity and stability in comparison to the contemporary Bulgarian triticale cultivars. Lines 161Т/4-2 and 158Т/1-1 were also with very high production potential, their yield exceeding 700 kg/da. Such data are indicative for the high efficiency of the anther culture method in improving and accelerating the breeding process in winter hexaploid triticale.

Keywords: DH lines; productivity; triticale

Date published: 2019-04-08