•  
  •  
 

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract

This study identifies salt-tolerant durum wheat genotypes for breeding programmes by integrating phenotypic, genotypic, and computational analyses of 27 Mediterranean varieties. Cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed two distinct genetic groups: modern genotypes (high-yielding Tunisian/Italian cultivars) and ancient genotypes (traditional Tunisian landraces). Among tested cultivars, JnehKhottifa and Grécale exhibited exceptional salinity tolerance, maintaining >80% germination at 200 mM NaCl, while Om Rabiaa and Agili showed sensitivity (<50% germination). Bayesian network modelling was used to explore the probabilistic relationships between simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers (e.g., CFD40 and GWM182, PIC = 0.561) and important traits such as root length and germination rate under stress. Genetic diversity analysis (average PIC = 0.407) highlighted the potential of SSR markers for trait-marker associations. These findings establish a valuable platform for enhancing marker-assisted selection salt- tolerant durum wheat varieties, essential for securing yields in saline-prone Mediterranean regions.

Author ORCID Identifier

RIM MZID: 0000-0003-4279-2096

RAYDA BEN AYED : 0000-0002-4970-6579

IMÈNE AYACHI: 0000-0002-6704-9920

ELYÈS BABAY: 0000-0002-0712-9216

İNCİ TOLAY: 0000-0002-9273-3310

LAMIA HAMROUNI: 0000-0002-5577-7306

ABDULLAH EREN: 0000-0003-1187-7978

MOHSEN HANANA: 0000-0003-4409-2755

DOI

10.55730/1300-011X.3307

Keywords

Durum wheat, salinity tolerance, germination, simple sequence repeat, computational analyses

First Page

807

Last Page

822

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Download

Share

COinS