Biofortification of Winter Wheats By Incorporating Low Phytate and Gpc-B1 Traits.

Approximately 60% of the world’s population are iron (Fe) deficient and over 30% are zinc (Zn) deficient. This situation is attributed to production areas with low mineral phytoavailability, consumption of staple crops with low tissue mineral concentrations and/or high concentrations of antinutrients such as oxalate, tannins or phytic acid (IP6). To alleviate this situation, efforts have been undertaken to develop wheats with higher grain Fe and Zn concentrations, and low phytic acid (LPA) content. For this study, two types of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) populations were created: 1.One population from Gpc-B1/LPA straight crosses, and 2. Ten populations from Gpc-B1/LPA//adapted cultivars three-way crosses, in which F1 derived from the initial Gpc-B1/LPA crosses were mated with Nebraska-adapted winter wheat materials to enhance agronomic adaptation to the target growing environments. After F4, all recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were classified as either wild type (WT) or LPA using the high inorganic phosphate (HIP) protocol. HIP results from the two and three-way cross populations showed differences in the amount of LPA RILs in both crossing methods. Fifty LPA RILs out of 400 were identified in the two-way cross population and twenty-four LPA RILs out of 200 were identified in one of the families from the three-way cross populations. The observed segregation suggests that the trait is controlled by two or more genes. Several single LPA mutations have been isolated mainly in maize, barley and rice. This study confirms the results of a previous segregation analysis using a different population and the polygenic inheritance of the wheat LPA mutation.