A Convenient Co-Dominant Marker for Height-Reducing <i>Ddw1</i> Allele Useful for Marker-Assisted Selection

Abstract

Reducing plant height improves lodging resistance and helps to obtain high grain yield under various environmental conditions. So far, the introduction and maintenance of the dwarfing allele of the Ddw1 gene is the most effective height-reducing genetic approach in rye and triticale breeding programs. However, the dominance of the dwarfing Ddw1 allele makes it difficult to select against heterozygous lines for further breeding based on plant phenotype. To assist breeders in the identification of the allele status of the Ddw1 gene, we developed a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker that requires basic equipment and can be easily applied. The CAPS marker was tested on two F2 segregating populations of triticale, and the test showed the association of the Ddw1 genotype with plant height. The application of the marker for marker-assisted selection (MAS) for rye and triticale is discussed in detail.

Keywords

• <i>Ddw1</i>
• <i>Hl</i>
• <i>Rht1</i>
• <i>REMS1218</i>
• plant height
• molecular marker