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EMS-based mutants are useful for enhancing drought tolerance in spring wheat

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Abstract

Sustainable wheat production in drought prone areas can be achieved by developing resilient wheat varieties. In the present study, chemical mutagenesis was used to induce mutations in a cultivated wheat variety ‘NN-Gandum-1’. In total, 44 mutants were selected based on their high yield potential for exposing to well-watered (W 1) and rainfed (W 2) conditions for one season. Then, 24 mutants were selected and were exposed to W 1 and W 2 regimes. On the basis of least relative reduction in physiological parameters under W 2 regime, five mutants were selected for conducting exome capturing assays. In total, 184 SNPs were identified in nine genes (ABC transporter type 1, aspartic peptidase, cytochrome P450, transmembrane domain, heavy metal-associated domain, HMA, NAC domain, NAD (P)-binding domain, S-type anion channel, Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 and UDP-glucuronosyl/UDP-glucosyltransferase). Maximum number of mutations were observed in chr.2D, which contained mutations in three genes, i.e. ABC transporter type 1, NAD (P)-binding domain and UDP-glucuronosyl/UDP-glucosyltransferase which may have a role in conferring drought tolerance. The selected mutants were further tested for studying their biochemical responses under both the regimes for 2 years. The extent of membrane damage was estimated through malondialdehyde and hydrogen per oxidase, and tolerance to drought stress was assessed via antioxidant enzymes in leaves. The selected mutants under drought stress increased the accumulation of proline content, total soluble sugars, total free amino acids, while decreased total chlorophyll content, carotenoids and total soluble protein. These mutants can further be explored to understand the genetic circuits of drought tolerance in wheat.

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Acknowledgements

The funds for developing wheat mutant were provided by the International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA), Vienna, Austria through a project entitled “Developing Germplasm through TILLING in Crop Plants Using Mutation and Genomic Approaches (PAK/5/047).” Special appreciations are extending to Dr Cristobal Uauy, Project Leader Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, UK for providing laboratory facility for undertaking exome capture assay and analysis. I am also extremely grateful to Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) for providing funds to take this project to logical end through a project entitled “Characterization of mutants derived from EMS-derived Gandum-1 for rust and drought tolerance for sustaining wheat yield in Pakistan” (CS 049) under ALP scheme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, GC University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Sadaf Zahra & Tayyaba Shaheen

  2. Plant Genomics and Mol. Breeding Laboratory, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering College, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (NIBGE-C, PIEAS), Faisalabad, 38000, Punjab, Pakistan

    Momina Hussain, Sana Zulfiqar, Shumila Ishfaq &  Mehboob-ur-Rahman

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Okara, Okara, Pakistan

    Momina Hussain

  4. Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Akhtar

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  1. Sadaf Zahra
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Correspondence to Tayyaba Shaheen or Mehboob-ur-Rahman.

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Zahra, S., Hussain, M., Zulfiqar, S. et al. EMS-based mutants are useful for enhancing drought tolerance in spring wheat. CEREAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 50, 767–778 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-021-00220-7

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