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Fellahi ZEA, Boubellouta T, Hannachi A, Belguet H, Louahdi N, Benmahammed A, Utkina AO, Rebouh NY. Exploitation of the Genetic Variability of Diverse Metric Traits of Durum Wheat ( Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum Desf.) Cultivars for Local Adaptation to Semi-Arid Regions of Algeria. Plants (Basel) 2024; 13:934. [PMID: 38611465 PMCID: PMC11013882 DOI: 10.3390/plants13070934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Abiotic stresses pose significant challenges to wheat farming, yet exploiting the genetic variability within germplasm collections offers an opportunity to effectively address these challenges. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity of key agronomic traits among twenty durum wheat cultivars, with the intention to pinpoint those better suited to semi-arid conditions. Field trials were conducted at the ITGC-FDPS Institute, Setif, Algeria, during the winter season of 2021/22. A completely randomized design was used with three replicates. Statistical analyses revealed significant variation among the genotypes for most of the studied traits, with some cultivars exhibiting a superior performance in a stressful environment. Notably, traits like the number of grains per spike (NGS) and the grain yield (GY) displayed high genotypic coefficients of variation (CVg). Except for membrane thermostability (MT) and biological yield (BY), the majority of the assessed traits exhibited moderate-to-high heritability estimates. Genotypic and phenotypic correlation studies have confirmed the importance of many yield-related traits in the expression of GY. The harvest index (HI) underscored the highest genotypic direct effect on GY, followed closely by spike number (SN), serving as consistent pathways through which most of the measured traits indirectly influenced GY. The cluster analysis categorized the durum wheat cultivars into seven distinct clusters. The largest inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters G3 and G4 (D2 = 6145.86), reflecting maximum dissimilarity between the individuals of these clusters. Hybridizing divergent clusters may benefit future breeding programs aiming to develop potential durum wheat varieties through cross combinations. This study's findings contribute to sustainable agriculture efforts by facilitating the selection of genotypes with enhanced resilience and productivity, particularly for cultivation in challenging semi-arid regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zine El Abidine Fellahi
- Department of Agronomic Sciences, Faculty of Natural, Life and Earth Sciences and the Universe, University of Mohamed El Bachir El Ibrahimi, Bordj Bou Arreridj 34030, Algeria
- Valorization of Natural Biological Resources Laboratory (VNBR), University of Ferhat Abbas Setif-1, Setif 19000, Algeria;
| | - Tahar Boubellouta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural, Life, Earth and Universe Sciences, University Mohamed El Bachir El Ibrahimi, Bordj Bou Arreridj 34030, Algeria;
- Characterization and Valorization of Natural Resources Laboratory (CVNRN), University Mohamed El Bachir El Ibrahimi, Bordj Bou Arreridj 34030, Algeria
| | - Abderrahmane Hannachi
- National Agronomic Research Institute of Algeria (INRAA), Setif Research Unit, Setif 19000, Algeria
| | - Haroun Belguet
- Experimental Farm, Field Crop Institute (ITGC), Farm Road-BP03, Setif 19000, Algeria; (H.B.); (N.L.)
| | - Nasreddine Louahdi
- Experimental Farm, Field Crop Institute (ITGC), Farm Road-BP03, Setif 19000, Algeria; (H.B.); (N.L.)
| | - Amar Benmahammed
- Valorization of Natural Biological Resources Laboratory (VNBR), University of Ferhat Abbas Setif-1, Setif 19000, Algeria;
- Department of Ecology and Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Life Science, University of Ferhat Abbas Setif-1, Setif 19000, Algeria
| | - Aleksandra O. Utkina
- Department of Environmental Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, RUDN University, 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St., 117198 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Nazih Y. Rebouh
- Department of Environmental Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, RUDN University, 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St., 117198 Moscow, Russia;
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