Replacement of chromosome 3D with Thinopyrum chromosome 3St led to increased drought tolerance during the flowering stage in wheat

A disomic substitution line was developed by replacing the 3D chromosome of wheat with the 3St chromosome from Agropyron glael (Thinopyrum intermedium Th. ponticum artificial hybrid). The substitution line (designated as GLA8) was phenotyped in the field throughout three successive growing seasons at Martovasar Tukros nursery in Hungary. The GLA8 line had a semidwarf habit and an early flowering time, while the other agronomic characteristics were similar to those of the wheat parents (Mv9kr1 and Mv Karizma wheat genotypes). It was assessed that under controlled drought stress conditions in the Martonvasar Phenotyping Platform, the stable GLA8 line had significantly better tolerance to water scarcity during the flowering stage than wheat parental genotypes, allowing it to be used in the breeding of drought-tolerant wheat varieties.