Development of quasi-natural populations in wild wheat species and its sustainable utilization

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K07272
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Conservation of biological resources
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Mori Naoki 神戸大学, 農学研究科, 教授 (60230075)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 野生二粒系コムギ / 遺伝的多様性 / 疑似自然集団 / 葉緑体DNA / 自然集団 / 栽培化 / 遺伝資源

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Emmer wheat was domesticated from the wild emmer wheat in northern Levant about 10,000 years ago. The wild emmer wheat has adapted to a wide range of environment in their natural habitat and has a high level of genetic diversity within and among natural populations. The wild emmer wheat is an important resource in a breeding program for the changes in the global environment. However the natural populations are in danger of extinction due to the human induced ecological destruction in the area. In the present study, we developed a set of “quasi-natural population” in which the original genetic diversity within the population are maintained. In addition, we have started the evaluation of genetic diversity in the wild emmer wheat using the “quasi-natural population”.

Free Research Field

植物遺伝資源学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

分子生物学的解析手法の発展に伴い、解析可能な系統数やデータ量が飛躍的に増大している。今後は、生物資源の保全とその有効利用においても集団内変異の重要性がますます高まると考えられる。本研究では、自然集団内の変異を維持しつつ永続的に保存することを目的として、それぞれの集団から無作為に選んだ多数の個体から構成される「擬似自然集団群」を育成した。これによって自然集団の遺伝的構成を変えることなく貴重な遺伝資源の永続的に維持・増殖が可能となった。