The article presents data reflecting the uniqueness and adaptive traits of landrace wheat varieties of the Western Pamir, continuously cultivated in highland small farms at altitudes of more than 2000 masl. For the important traits, like lodging resistance and quality, the bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varietal improvement is possible. Protein labeling showed the significant polymorphism and distinctiveness in varietal samples within all α, β, γ, and ω subfractions of storage seed proteins – gliadins, which is the specificity of wheat cultivars of Tajik Badakhshan on Gli-B1 locus. Most of the local bread wheat cultivars had the composition of high molecular weight glutenin subunits, i.e., null (Glu-1A), 7+8 (Glu-B1), and 2+12 (Glu-D1). Genetic diversity analysis of West Pamir landraces by the alleles of VRN-A1 and VRN-D1 vernalization genes showed their identity that all cultivars had recessive (vrn-A1) and dominant allele (Vrn-D1). For PPD-1 genes, the allelic composition of the wheat cultivars revealed a representation of an allele of insensitivity to day length (Ppd-A1a) and two alleles (Ppd-B1b and Ppd-D1b) providing sensitivity to the photoperiod.
Local bread wheat (T. aestivum L.), West Pamir, molecular markers, diversity of VRN-1, PPD-1, Glu-1 genes, polymorphism, quality traits
The combination of recessive allele (vrn-A1) and dominant allele (Vrn-D1) with the main genes of sensitivity to photoperiod (Ppd-1D, Ppd-1B) promotes the adaptation of Western Pamir bread wheat (T. aestivum L.) landraces to conditions of the highlands.