GWAS in a Collection of Bulgarian Old and Modern Bread Wheat Accessions Uncovers Novel Genomic Loci for Grain Protein Content and Thousand Kernel Weight.

Genetic enhancement of grain production and quality is a priority in wheat breeding projects. In this study, we assessed two key agronomic traits-grain protein content (GPC) and thousand kernel weight (TKW)-across 179 Bulgarian contemporary and historic varieties and landraces across three growing seasons. Significant phenotypic variation existed for both traits among genotypes and seasons, and no discernible difference was evident between the old and modern accessions.

Nutritional Genomic Approach for Improving Grain Protein Content in Wheat.

Grain protein content (GPC) is a key aspect of grain quality, a major determinant of the flour functional properties and grain nutritional value of bread wheat. Exploiting diverse germplasms to identify genes for improving crop performance and grain nutritional quality is needed to enhance food security. Here, we evaluated GPC in a panel of 255 L.

Genetic Diversity, Linkage Disequilibrium and Population Structure of Bulgarian Bread Wheat Assessed by Genome-Wide Distributed SNP Markers: From Old Germplasm to Semi-Dwarf Cultivars.

Genetic diversity and population structure are key resources for breeding purposes and genetic studies of important agronomic traits in crops. In this study, we described SNP-based genetic diversity, linkage disequilibrium and population structure in a panel of 179 bread wheat advanced cultivars and old accessions from Bulgaria, using an optimized wheat 25K Infinium iSelect array. Out of 19,019 polymorphic SNPs, 17,968 had а known chromosome position on the A (41%), B (42%) and D (11%) genome, and 6% were not assigned to any chromosome.

Optimal Nitrogen Supply Ameliorates the Performance of Wheat Seedlings under Osmotic Stress in Genotype-Specific Manner.

Strategies and coping mechanisms for stress tolerance under sub-optimal nutrition conditions could provide important guidelines for developing selection criteria in sustainable agriculture. Nitrogen (N) is one of the major nutrients limiting the growth and yield of crop plants, among which wheat is probably the most substantial to human diet worldwide. Physiological status and photosynthetic capacity of two contrasting wheat genotypes (old Slomer and modern semi-dwarf Enola) were evaluated at the seedling stage to assess how N supply affected osmotic stress tolerance and capacity of plants to survive drought periods.