Investigation
The
characterisation
and
genetic conservation of plant genetic resources is essential to increase the
biodiversity of the food chain. Our group includes research teams for the characterisation of winter
cereals
and grain legumes
and the improvement of the conservation
of the collections. We carry out our work at the
Plant Genetic Resources Center (CRF, INIA-CSIC) and our research lines are:
Molecular characterisation
We have launched a new research line based on the molecular characterization of plant genetic resources. The wheat collections have been characterized with high-throughput genotyping techniques in the framework of different research projects. These analyses have shown that
traditional varieties have
greater genetic diversity than modern varieties for some
genes related to important agronomic traits. Traditional varieties can be also divided into different genetic groups. This information is very useful to select germplasm for
pre-breeding to obtain more adapted varieties to different
stresses such as drought or warm temperature.
For the forage legume
Vicia sativa, we have used
transcriptomic studies to identify molecular mechanisms involved in the response and tolerance to drought. Besides, polymorphic variants have been identified to design molecular markers associated with tolerance to this stress. The
molecular markers used in the genotyping of the vetch collection can also be used in 16 species of
Vicia genus.
Creation of core collections
Both the cereal and legume collections have hundreds of varieties, making their study to find interesting characters expensive and difficult. The development of
subsets of varieties, so-called
core collections, which
represent the
variability of the collection in a smaller number of varieties
facilitates the evaluation of the collections.
In collaboration with other research teams, we have created the durum and common wheat core collections (durum wheat) (common wheat) using high-throughput genotyping data. Each collection has 94 genotypes, which represent the geographic, agronomic and genetic variability of the complete collection conserved at CRF-INIA. We have also created a
precision collection of pure lines from 500 common wheat landraces which is being genotyped and evaluated for several traits.
The
core collection of bean, established in a collaboration between different institutions, has allowed the selection of
202 accessions that include a very important part of the
agro-morphological diversity of this species
(amd).
The vetch core collection, created using passport data and agro-morphological characters, is being validated with molecular markers
(vetch core collection).
Evaluation of the collections
In collaboration with other groups, the
wheat core collections have been evaluated for:
- Quality
- Quality-related gluten proteins
- Architecture of the root system
- Disease resistance
- Genes related to nitrogen assimilation
These evaluations have shown that
traditional Spanish varieties have a great variability for important characters for pre-breeding,
highlighting some varieties for their good values. The relationships between some agronomic characters and the eco-geographical variables of the origin site of the varieties allow us to
detect areas with the highest probability of finding varieties possessing
the desired value for this character.
The vetch core collection has been evaluated for parameters associated with
drought behaviour.
Conservation of collections
The CRF-INIA collections are maintained as seeds, at low humidity and low temperature. The research lines in development aim to
optimize the conservation procedures of the genebank, focusing on various aspects:Storage conditions: humidity,
- Storage conditions: humidity, temperature, oxygen. An experience has recently been completed to evaluate the influence of different gaseous environments, with and without oxygen, on seed aging and associated processes of oxidative stress.
- Determination of the germination conditions in different species (especially in wild ones) for an adequate determination of the seed viability.
- Analysis of the results of conservation in the CRF genebank: determination of species with short-lived or long-lived seeds.
