Determination of Drought-Resistant Genotypes in Triticale Through Whole Transcriptome Gene Expression Profiling (RNA-Seq) and Development of Candidate Molecular Selection Markers to Develop a New Variety Adaptive to the Burdur Region

Yapılış Tarihi | 28 August 2024, Wednesday

PROJECT NAME:

PROJECT MANAGER:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Siğnem ÖNEY BİROL

PROJECT SUBJECT:

Triticale is an interspecific synthetic hybrid cereal obtained by crossing rye, which has resistance to adverse conditions, with wheat, which has high yield potential. After nearly a century of intensive breeding efforts, triticale has been developed as a new alternative product that can compete biologically with other cool-season cereals and show better adaptation to adverse environments in terms of agroecological characteristics. Triticale has significant advantages over other cool-season cereals. Its ability to adapt to very different climate and soil conditions is quite good. Compared to cereal species such as wheat, barley, and oats, it utilizes the soil better and is less affected by changing environmental conditions. Especially in dry conditions, higher yields can be obtained compared to other cool-season cereals. In our world under the influence of climate change, the decrease in yield and quality characteristics due to drought and salinity stress frequently affecting agricultural cultivated areas threatens agricultural production. In areas where wheat production, which is important in animal nutrition worldwide, has decreased due to abiotic stress, triticale, which has a high potential to develop adaptation under adverse conditions, is promising. RNA sequencing-based gene expression analyses are used to reveal genes responding to various abiotic stress conditions, including drought stress. In this context, by applying external drought stress under laboratory conditions to 12 different triticale varieties commercially sold in our country, along with 1 bread wheat, 1 durum wheat, and 1 rye genotype, the most resistant and most sensitive genotypes will be determined based on physiological and biochemical levels. Using modern whole-transcriptome gene expression profiling (RNA-Seq), after applying external drought stress to these 9 triticale varieties along with wheat and rye reference genomes, RNA transcripts isolated from leaf tissues will be compared with their controls (not subjected to drought stress). Through transcriptome analyses, potential candidate genes will be profiled through differential gene expression, and potential candidate genes will be identified for testing drought stress tolerance using bioinformatics and various breeding programs. In the third stage, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) occurring in candidate genes will be identified, and candidate SNPs that can be used for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding studies for drought stress tolerance will be used by assistant cereal breeders working at the Field Crops Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey to develop a new triticale variety adaptive to the Burdur region. Within the scope of triticale breeding studies jointly conducted with the Field Crops Central Research Institute Directorate, crosses will be made among triticale genotypes previously determined to be resistant to salinity and drought using molecular markers to develop new lines. After crossing, doubled haploid lines will be obtained using the anther culture method to shorten the breeding process. Approximately 120-150 lines obtained will be subjected to preliminary yield trials in comparison with existing varieties. Lines showing superiority in preliminary yield trials will be transferred to yield trials. In light of all this information, concrete findings about the stress resistance mechanism of existing triticale genotypes will be revealed in the fight against increasing drought stress, including in our country, and marker-assisted selection will contribute to the development of a new triticale variety resistant to drought stress specific to the Burdur region. Through biotechnological breeding studies, a new variety resistant to drought stress suitable for the soil and climate structure of Burdur can be developed in a short time.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE:

Triticale, which has economic and environmental advantages with lower input needs compared to wheat, is the most suitable cereal plant for the agricultural system due to its high resistance to diseases and the ability to achieve high yields in low-yield soils. It is a better animal feed compared to wheat and barley due to its high protein content and good amino acid balance. Although it is largely produced for its grain, triticale has significant potential for dual-use, meaning the use of both the grain and other parts of the plant. In our country, interest in triticale cultivation is increasing as an alternative to other cool-season cereals grown in extreme areas of regions where livestock farming is prevalent. Over the next twenty years, it is expected that climate change will further increase yield losses in plants due to rising temperatures and decreasing water resources. It is crucial to accelerate studies aimed at increasing the adaptation capacity of cereal products, which are of great importance in the human health diet, such as rice, corn, and wheat, to arid environments to feed the growing population. Based on the adverse effects of climate change on agricultural production, including in our country; water scarcity, heat stress, and salt stress resulting from all these factors cause excessive yield loss in wheat cultivation areas. In triticale, developed as an alternative cereal, determining the drought stress tolerance of a total of 12 different triticale varieties commercially sold and registered in our country, developing new hybrid lines by supporting the most drought-resistant and most sensitive genotypes among all genotypes with molecular, physiological, and biochemical analyses, and developing a new hybrid variety resistant to drought adaptive to the Burdur region is very important. Overall, the project, which aims to find an alternative feed source against changing climate conditions in animal nutrition, aims to reveal findings at different gene expression levels regarding triticale's performance in combating drought. Next-generation transcriptome profiling (RNA-Seq) is a method based on successfully obtaining large amounts of sequence data that can represent the expression profile of organisms under certain conditions and at a specific time. Profiling the differentially expressed genes of triticale genotypes before and after drought stress application is expected to yield very successful results.

PROJECT REGIONAL CONTRIBUTION:

• Our country will determine triticale genotypes sensitive and resistant to drought stress, and genotypes with high yield and quality characteristics will be crossed with each other to develop a new triticale variety with high nutritional value for animal nutrition, adaptive to the climate and soil structure of the Burdur region.
• As a result of the project, genes related to drought in triticale, differentially expressed genes, and expression levels will be identified, and time and cost losses will be prevented for use in modern breeding studies.
• Candidate molecular markers that can be used in marker-based selection studies instead of classical breeding, providing low cost and the ability to be tested in a short time, will be developed to help determine drought stress tolerance.
• Determining the yield and quality characteristics of genotypes with high drought tolerance will provide important findings regarding the commercial necessity of the newly developed triticale culture variety adaptive to the Burdur region in combating climate change as a result of future hybridization and plant breeding studies. In addition, the newly developed variety will be recommended for cultivation in agricultural areas of our country with climatic characteristics similar to those of Burdur, and by selling its seeds to producers, it will provide input to our university over the years.

Additionally, the scientific data obtained from this study will contribute to projects aimed at developing new culture varieties and discovering important drought stress markers for cereal breeding by revealing the biochemical and transcriptomic response of our country's triticale varieties to stress at the gene expression level.

PROJECT SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION:

Drought is one of the most important problems in terms of Turkey's climatic conditions. Drought, one of the biggest problems seen worldwide, also negatively affects many sectors, especially the agricultural sector, by showing its intense effect in our country, especially in the summer months. To combat drought, solutions such as the efficient use of water resources, water conservation, modern irrigation techniques, and the cultivation of plant species with high drought tolerance are needed. Triticale, a cereal species with high economic value and nutritional content, is widely cultivated worldwide. However, due to environmental factors such as drought, there are significant decreases in productivity. Therefore, making triticale species resistant to drought is very important. Thanks to current molecular technological developments, changes made in the DNA of plant species help achieve desired characteristics and play an important role in developing drought-resistant species. As a result of the SL to be applied in this study, along with the results obtained from metabolomic, physiological, and biochemical analyses, making triticale varieties unique to our country more resistant to drought, developing varieties with high drought resistance, yield, and quality characteristics specifically for our country is very important for the cereal industry. This situation is considered to be a great gain in terms of environmental and human health and thus will positively contribute to the quality of life. Turkey is known as a very important country for the agricultural sector. The agricultural sector, besides having an important place in the country's economy, is also used as a livelihood source for many people. Therefore, the social impact of agricultural innovations made in our country is quite large. Triticale production in Turkey has also been increasing in recent years. This increase is significantly influenced by triticale's high yield potential and commercial value. At the same time, it is also used as feed in the livestock sector. Triticale feed increases the growth and reproductive performance of animals due to its higher protein, amino acid, and energy values compared to wheat feed. Additionally, triticale production in Turkey contributes to the country's goal of reducing wheat imports. Moreover, the economic importance of the triticale species is not limited to food production. With the new triticale variety to be developed within the scope of this project, a new drought-resistant variety will be offered for use by producers, and our country's market share in this economically important cereal species will increase. As a result, triticale species will become more attractive to producers and contribute to employment nationwide.