The action of species cytoplasm specific (scs) gene(s) can be observed when a durum (Triticum turgidum L.) nucleus is placed in the Aegilops longissimum S. & M. cytoplasm. This alloplasmic combination, (lo) durum, results in nonviable progeny. A scs gene derived from T. timopheevii Zhuk. (scs(ti)) produced compatibility with the (lo) cytoplasm. The resulting hemizygous (lo) scs(ti)- durum line ...

Differences in stored-product psocid progeny production as a function of commodity type, percentage of cracked kernels, and wheat class were examined using laboratory bioassays. Population growth of Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel, Liposcelis decolor (Pearman), Liposcelis paeta Pearman, and Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein) (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae) was highest on sorghum Sorghum bicolor...

Production of doubled haploids (DHs) is an important methodology to speed the process of breeding and development of mapping populations in crops. The procedure for DH production includes two major steps: haploid induction and chromosome doubling. In recent years, wide hybridization between wheat and maize has become a main approach for haploid production in wheat. In this method, the maize chr...

The development of a robust Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for a recalcitrant species like durum wheat requires the identification and optimization of factors affecting T-DNA delivery and plant regeneration. The purpose of this research was to compare the behavior of diverse durum wheat genotypes during in vitro culture and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation, usin...

The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of NaCl on the leaf growth and some physiological and biochemical characteristics of an Algerian durum wheat (var. Waha) landrace. NaCl (150 mM), as compared to control plants, significantly reduced all the leaf-growth parameters as leaf area (33%), leaf dry weight (41%) and leaf fresh weight (32%), but did not induce any change in the...

Cytological and agronomic characteristics of a F2 population from Triticum aestivum L. x T. durum Desf. hybrids were analyzed plant by plant. Means of morphologic traits in the F2 population were similar to those of the low-value parent. On average, F2 hybrids had 36.54 chromosomes per plant, indicating that each gamete lost 2.73 chromosomes at meiosis of the F1 generation. More than half of pl...

The reduced risk of chronic diseases related to whole grain consumption is in part attributed to their high antioxidant content. Many studies have been performed on the in vitro antioxidant capacity of cereals, but in vivo studies are necessary. We have evaluated and compared the effect of whole grain durum wheat bread and whole grain Kamut khorasan bread on the oxidative status in rats. Two di...

Stability of grain quality characteristics is an interesting feature of today’s durum wheat breeding programmes, due to the high annual variation in both grain yield and quality, particularly in the Mediterranean area. Ten field trials were carried out during two seasons (1998 and 1999) in both the north (Lleida) and south (Granada and Jerez) of Spain. Ten durum wheat genotypes were used, inclu...

Drought is a wide-spread problem seriously influencing durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) production and quality, but development of resistant cultivars is hampered by the lack of effective selection criteria. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of several selection indices to identify drought resistance cultivars under a variety of environmental conditions. Twenty four duru...

Septoria tritici blotch (STB) is a devastating fungal disease affecting durum and bread wheat cultivation worldwide. The identification, development, and employment of resistant wheat genetic material is the key to overcoming costs and limitations of fungicide treatments. The search for resistance sources in untapped genetic material may speed up the deployment of STB genetic resistance in the ...