Marker‐assisted backcross breeding to combine multiple rust resistance in wheat

Abstract

Abstract A widely grown but rust susceptible Indian wheat variety HD 2932 was improved for multiple rust resistance by marker‐assisted transfer of genes Lr 19, Sr 26 and Yr 10. Foreground and background selection processes were practised to transfer targeted genes with the recovery of the genome of HD 2932. The near‐isogenic lines ( NIL s) of HD 2932 carrying Lr 19, Sr 26 and Yr 10 were individually produced from two backcrosses with recurrent parent HD 2932. Marker‐assisted background selection of NIL s with 94.38–98.46% of the HD 2932 genome facilitated rapid recovery of NIL s carrying Lr 19, Sr 26 and Yr 10. In the BC 2 F 2 generation, NIL s were intercrossed and two gene combinations of Lr 19+ Yr 10, Sr 26 + Yr 10 and Lr 19+ Sr 26 were produced. A total of 16 progeny of two gene combinations of homozygous NIL s of HD 2932 have been produced, which are under seed increase for facilitating the replacement of the susceptible HD 2932 with three of the sixteen improved backcross lines with resistance to multiple rusts.