GLU-A3 AND GLU-B3 ALLELES FOR LMW PROTEIN IN LOCAL WHEAT IDENTIFICATION OF GLU-A3 AND GLU-B3 ALLELES FOR LMW PROTEIN SUBUNITS IN SOME WHEAT GENOTYPES OF PAKISTAN

Identification of alleles responsible for low molecular weight protein subunits (LMW-GS) is of immediate concern due to their large effect on wheat processing qualities, especially gluten elasticity. Allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) molecular markers have been developed to screen wheat genotypes for appropriate LMW-GS alleles. In this study sequence tagged site AS-PCR markers were used for identification of alleles at Glu-A3 and Glu-B3 loci for LMW protein subunits in twenty-six wheat cultivars developed in Pakistan to assess their potential contribution to enhance bread-making quality. Three alleles at Glu-A3 and four alleles at Glu-B3 loci were explored in the wheat genotypes under study. Allelic richness (4) and genetic diversity (H) (0.7) was comparatively higher for Glu-B3 locus as compared to Glu-A3 locus. Glu-A3b and Glu-A3d alleles were observed in 11 (64%) cultivars, which were known to encode high sedimentation and protein contents, which made them the important