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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/FWSH/06
Introgressed TaMATE1B gene enhances grain yield and drought tolerance in durum
wheat grown in Al -rich acidic subsoils
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Yinglong Chen *, Lijun Liu , Vijay Pooniya , Chunming Bai , Jairo A Palta , Emmanuel
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Delhaize , Kadambot HM Siddique 1
1 UWA Institute of Agriculture, and School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of
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Western Australia, Perth, Australia; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong
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Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi,
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India; Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenyang, China; CSIRO Agriculture &
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Food, Wembley, Australia; Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; CSIRO
Agriculture & Food, Canberra, Australia
Correspondence: yinglong.chen@uwa.edu.au
Abstract
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Subsoil acidity with a high aluminium (Al ) content inhibits root growth and proliferation of
durum wheat (tetraploid AABB, Triticum turgidum) leading to poor nutrient and water uptake.
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This study evaluated the introgressed TaMATE1B gene on drought resistance and Al toxicity
in durum wheat. Durum wheat lines Jandaroi–TaMATE1B (introgressed with the TaMATE1B
gene) and Jandaroi–null (without TaMATE1B gene) were grown in rhizoboxes (Expt. 1) and
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columns (Expt. 2) both filled with re-constructed field soil with Al -rich acid subsoil in a
glasshouse under well-watered conditions until maturity (Expt. 1), or until the onset of ear
emergence (Z51), before imposing well-watered and terminal drought treatments (Expt. 2).
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Expt. 1: Introgression of the Al -tolerant TaMATE1B allele into durum wheat enabled root
growth and proliferation below 0.25 m of the soil profile, where the soil pH was low (4.1, CaCl2
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extract) with high Al content (16.5 mg kg ), and increased total root length and biomass at
42 days after sowing (DAS; Z33) by 38.3 and 22%, respectively, relative to the Jandaroi–null.
Differences in root growth between the two lines were apparent from tillering stage (Z33) and
by 50% anthesis (Z64), respectively. Jandaroi–TaMATE1B had 69.2% greater root biomass,
76.2% greater root length, and 18% greater shoot biomass than Jandaroi–null at 50% anthesis
(Z64). Expt. 2: Jandaroi–TaMATE1B produced 25.3% higher grain yield than Jandaroi–null
under well-watered conditions and 49.0% higher grain yield under terminal drought. Terminal
drought reduced grain yield by 47.7% in Jandaroi–TaMATE1B and 72% in Jandaroi–null,
relative to well-watered conditions. The effects of TaMATE1B on grain yield can be attributed
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to increased root growth and proliferation below 0.4 m in Al -toxic soil. Jandaroi–TaMATE1B
had 34.5% and 32.0% more total root biomass than Jandaroi–null in the well-watered and
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terminal drought treatments, respectively. To conclude, introgression of the Al -tolerant
TaMATE1B gene into durum wheat enabled root growth and proliferation down an acidic soil
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profile with a high Al concentration, and improved terminal drought resistance by enabling
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root growth and proliferation into deep layers of Al -rich acidic soil.
Keywords: Subsoil acidity; proliferation; drought resistance

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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