Characterization of Two Wheat Doubled Haploid Populations for Resistance to Common Bunt and Its Association with Agronomic Traits

Two segregating populations of doubled haploid (DH) wheat lines derived androgenetically from crosses ‘Svilena’ (susceptible) × A-38b-4-5-3-3 (highly resistant) and ‘Svilena’ × WWRN (moderately resistant to moderately susceptible) were characterized for resistance to common bunt. Disease incidence was evaluated after inoculation of seeds with a mixture of Tilletia foetida teliospores in two autumn sown field experiments. Two-gene model of inheritance of resistance in line A-38b-4-5-3-3 was suggested. The transgressive segregation in the latter population was indicative for a quantitative mode of inheritance. The DH lines were assessed for plant height, heading time and important yield components in a three-year field experiment without bunt infection. In both populations, transgressive segregation was observed for all agronomic characteristics. Although the disease incidence was positively correlated with most of the agronomic traits, genotypes combining bunt resistance with good yield potential were isolated from ‘Svilena’ × A-38b set of lines. These genotypes are valuable for breeding varieties designed for growing in low-input and organic farming systems. The two DH populations are suitable to be used for further studies on the genetic basis of bunt resistance.