Abstract

Hexaploid tritordeum [×Tritordeum martinii A. Pujadas (Poaceae) nothosp. nov.; H^chH^chAABB] resulted from crosses between wild barley (Hordeum chilense Roem et. Schultz) and durum wheat [Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum (Desf.) Husn.]. Tritordeum (HT) presents interesting agronomic traits that can be transferred to cultivated wheat. Through the years, several HT lines were developed and characterised. Genomic stability and fertility are expected for advanced HT lines with multiple self-fertilisation generations. In this work, we analysed the meiotic chromosomal pairing in pollen mother cells (PMCs) of three advanced lines of hexaploid tritordeum (HT9, HT31 and HT67) after fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) performed with genomic DNA from H. chilense and the bread wheat cloned rDNA sequence, pTa71, as probes, and characterised nine morphological and yield-related traits for three consecutive years in adult plants. As expected, all HT lines showed regular meiotic chromosomal pairing, ensuring plant fertility as previously confirmed by the characterisation of morphological and yield-related traits in adult plants of preceding generations. Globally, tritordeum is interesting for wheat breeding and has potential as an alternative crop.