Winter durum wheat is a relatively young crop that is highly adaptable due to its winter type of growth habit. The priority of breeding and genetic improvement of winter durum wheat is to improve grain quality and pasta quality, largely determined by the glutenin storage proteins. In the present study, a collection of 76 accessions of winter durum wheat from P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Centre was studied. The allelic state of high-molecular-weight glutenin genes, Glu-A1 and Glu-B1, using PCR markers and SDS-PAGE was identified and grain and pasta quality traits were assessed in a two-year field experiment. The positive effect of the Glu-A1a allele and a negative effect of Glu-A1c on the gluten index were shown. It was found that Glu-B1al and Glu-B1f have a positive effect on the quality and quantity of protein and gluten, while the Glu-A1c + Glu-B1al genotypes were closest to the high-quality category in protein-associated quality traits.

Spring durum wheat is an important raw material for producing diverse products such as couscous, bulgur, bread, and pasta. The quality of the dough is significantly influenced by high-molecular-weight glutenins, the allelic status of which depends on the region and breeding program. In this study, a collection of 69 cultivars and promising lines of durum wheat were analyzed for the allelic state of Glu-A1 and Glu-B1 using SDS-PAGE and KASP PCR markers. Protein and gluten content, volume increase index, pasta breaking strength, general pasta estimation, SDS, and gluten index were measured for each accession based on a two-year field experiment in the Krasnodar region. The analysis revealed that the Glu-B1al, Glu-B1d, and Glu-B1z* alleles positively influence gluten index, with Glu-B1al increasing protein, gluten, and SDS content, whereas Glu-B1d decreased these traits. Glu-B1e, on average, decreased the gluten index and SDS value but did not affect protein or gluten content. The role of alleles affecting the gluten index and protein content in ensuring the quality of pasta in durum wheat breeding is discussed.

Wheat-rye translocations 1RS.1BL and 1RS.1AL are used in bread wheat breeding worldwide because a short arm of rye chromosome 1 (1RS) when introgressed into the wheat genome confers resistance to diseases, pests and better performance under drought-stress conditions. However, in durum wheat genotypes, these translocations occur only in experimental lines, although their advantages could enhance the potential of this crop. P.P. Lukyanenko National Grain Centre (NGC) has successfully developed commercially competitive cultivars of bread and durum wheat demanded by many agricultural producers in the South of Russia for decades. Here, 94 accessions of bread and 343 accessions of durum wheat, representing lines and cultivars from collection, competitive variety trials and breeding nursery developed at NGC were screened for 1RS using PCR markers and genomic in situ hybridization. The 1RS.1BL and 1RS.1AL translocations were detected in 38 and 6 bread wheat accessions, respectively. None of the durum wheat accessions showed translocation, despite the fact that some of them had 1RS.1BL donors in their pedigree. The absence of translocations in the studied durum wheat germplasm can be caused by the negative selection of 1RS carriers at different stages of the breeding process due to low quality and difficulties in transferring rye chromatin through wheat gametes.

РАЗНООБРАЗИЕ АЛЛЕЛЬНОГО СОСТОЯНИЯ ГЕНОВ Glu-1 В КОЛЛЕКЦИИ ОБРАЗЦОВ ТВЕРДОЙ ПШЕНИЦЫ (Triticum durum Desf.) В.А. Коробкова, А.Ю. Крупина, А.В. Архипов, А.С. Янов-ский, А.Д. Воропаева, Л.А. Беспалова, А.А. Мудрова, Л.А. Назарова, М.М. Магомедов, П.Ю. Крупин, М.А. Самарина, Д.С. Ульянов, Г.И. Карлов, М.Г. Дивашук

Winter durum wheat combines the benefits of autumn sowing with high grain quality but remains poorly adapted to temperate regions due to low frost tolerance. To elucidate the genetic basis of winter hardiness and support breeding for improved cold adaptation, a segregating multi-family F₂ panel (n = 270) was developed from crosses among frost-tolerant and frost-susceptible lines. GWAS identified four loci significantly associated with winter survival on chromosomes 1B, 5A, 5B, and 7B, collectively explaining 7.6–21.5% of phenotypic variance. These loci jointly improved model performance (ΔMcFadden R² = 0.230, p-value = 4.76 × 10⁻¹⁷) without evidence of epistasis, indicating additive inheritance. Predicted survival increased nearly linearly with the number of favorable alleles, highlighting the potential for pyramiding through marker-assisted or genomic selection. Three significant SNPs were converted to KASP assays, providing validated molecular tools for breeding applications. Overall, the study broadens understanding of frost-tolerance genetics in winter durum wheat beyond canonical Fr regions and delivers practical markers for improving winter hardiness in breeding programs targeting continental climates.