A genetic study of cold resistance in wheat

Abstract

The variety Chinese Spring of Triticum aestivum is susceptible to cold treatment applied at the juvenile plant stage, while the variety Cappelle-Desprez shows resistance to such treatment. By cytological and backcross procedures single homologous pairs of chromosomes from Cappelle-Desprez were substituted for their homologues in Chinese Spring. Assay experiments carried out on each of the 21 possible substitution lines indicated that three chromosomes, 4D, 5D and 7A of Cappelle-Desprez were involved in the determination of cold resistance. The resistance expressed by the three substitution lines carrying these chromosomes was less than the reaction of Cappelle-Desprez to cold treatment. Also the magnitude of this resistance supported a hypothesis that the action of the three chromosomes was additive on the scale of measurement used. The possible relationships of the genes for cold resistance to the established genes controlling other developmental characters, also carried by these three chromosomes, are discussed.