An update of low molecular weight glutenin subunits in durum wheat relevant to breeding for quality

Abstract The identification of low molecular weight (LMW) glutenin alleles is a valuable tool to select in early generations those lines which combine the best allelic combinations when breeding for quality. The present study was conducted to analyse the allelic variation in glutenins of a core collection of durum wheat with the objectives of increasing the genetic variability available for breeding, and studying the genetic control of some subunits. New and no catalogued allelic variants of glutenins have been described, and the genetic control of some subunits have been determined by genetic analyses. The linkage relationships found among several LMW glutenin subunits and between LMW glutenins and gliadins can be very useful in the accurate identification of some alleles. The findings presented in this study have allowed the updating of the LMW glutenin subunits (catalogued and not catalogued) found so far in durum wheat. This information can be very valuable to assist with the identification of the alleles at the Glu-3 and the Glu-B2 loci. Additionally, some new alleles at Glu-B3 exhibited a positive effect on gluten strength and should be target for future studies.