Makhoul, ManarManarMakhoulSchlichtermann, Rica-HannaRica-HannaSchlichtermannUgwuanyi, SamsonSamsonUgwuanyiWeber, Sven E.Sven E.WeberVoss-Fels, Kai P.Kai P.Voss-FelsStahl, AndreasAndreasStahlZetzsche, HolgerHolgerZetzscheWittkop, BenjaminBenjaminWittkopSnowdon, Rod J.Rod J.SnowdonObermeier, ChristianChristianObermeier2024-11-272024-11-272024https://jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de/handle/jlupub/19949https://doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-19304The sequence diversity of three homoeologous copies of the PHOTOPERIOD-1 gene in European winter wheat was analyzed by Oxford Nanopore amplicon-based multiplex sequencing and molecular markers in a panel of 194 cultivars representing breeding progress over the past 5 decades. A strong, consistent association with an average 8% increase in grain yield was observed for the PpdA1-Hap1 haplotype across multiple environments. This haplotype was found to be linked in 51% of cultivars to the 2NS/2AS translocation, originally introduced from Aegilops ventricosa, which leads to an overestimation of its effect. However, even in cultivars without the 2NS/2AS translocation, PpdA1-Hap1 was significantly associated with increased grain yield, kernel per spike and kernel per m2 under optimal growth conditions, conferring a 4% yield advantage compared to haplotype PpdA1-Hap4. In contrast to Ppd-B1 and Ppd-D1, the Ppd-A1 gene exhibits novel structural variations and a high number of SNPs, highlighting the evolutionary changes that have occurred in this region over the course of wheat breeding history. Additionally, cultivars carrying the photoperiod-insensitive Ppd-D1a allele not only exhibit earlier heading, but also deeper roots compared to those with photoperiod-sensitive alleles under German conditions. PCR and KASP assays have been developed that can be effectively employed in marker-assisted breeding programs to introduce these favorable haplotypes.enNamensnennung 4.0 Internationalddc:630