Mongolian accessions of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Beauv.) in the VIR collection
https://doi.org/10.30901/2658-3860-2024-2-o3
Abstract
Recently, the interest in forage crops with resistance to adverse environmental factors in changing climate conditions has grown significantly among researchers. Among these crops is wheatgrass, diploid specimens of which are included as the initial genetic material in breeding and genetic programs. The first and only one wild specimen of crested wheatgrass was collected in 1922 by V.E. Pisarev, a close associate of N.I. Vavilov, during the Mongolian expedition of the State Institute of Experimental Agronomy. Two more wheatgrass specimens collected by A.I. Ivanov, the Leading Researcher of the Department of Forage Crops of VIR, arrived in 1966.
It was only in 1986-1987 that the VIR collection was replenished with a rather large number of diploid wild-growing Mongolian specimens of crested wheatgrass, distinguished by traits valuable for breeding, such as short vegetation period, salt-, drought-, and winter hardiness, resistance to diseases and pests.
In the summer of 1986 and from the end of summer until the autumn of 1987, scientists from the Plant Resources Team of the Joint Soviet-Mongolian Complex Biological Expedition (JSMKBE) examined the flora of several aimags of Mongolia: Selenge, Bulgan and Central aimags in 1986; Arkhangai, Bayankhongor, Bulgan, East Gobi, Selenge, Uvs, Arkhangai, Khentii, Central and South Gobi aimags in 1987.
The objective of the Plant Resources Team was to broaden the gene pool of crop wild relatives (CWR). Seed samples of mid- and late-ripening perennial wild forage grasses resistant to limiting environmental factors, were collected for replenishing plant collections of the USSR and Mongolia, study, and further use by breeding centers of both countries. During the expedition, the institute’s collection was replenished with samples of forage grasses, including 30 of crested wheatgrass, one of Mongolian wheatgrass, Michno's wheatgrass and Ericksson crested wheatgrass. The geographical coordinates and collection sites of the samples were recorded, and the ecological and a geographical classification of the Mongolian populations of crested wheatgrass was created.
About the Authors
L. L. MalyshevRussian Federation
Leonid L. Malyshev, PhD (Agric. Sci.), Leading Researcher, VIR
42, 44, Bolshaya Morskaya Str., St. Petersburg 190000, Russia
A. A. Kochegina
Russian Federation
Albina A. Kochegina, PhD (Pharm. Sci), Leading Specialist, VIR
42, 44, Bolshaya Morskaya Str., St. Petersburg 190000, Russia
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Review
For citations:
Malyshev L.L., Kochegina A.A. Mongolian accessions of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Beauv.) in the VIR collection. Vavilovia. 2024;7(2):23-34. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30901/2658-3860-2024-2-o3