Identification and development of functional markers for purple grain genes in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.).

Key message: Two allelic variants of Pp-A3 and Pp-B1 were identified in purple durum wheat. Molecular markers at both loci were developed and validated on an independent panel, offering a breakthrough for wheat improvement. Purple wheats are a class of cereals with pigmented kernels of particular interest for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Although two complementary loci (Pp-B1 and Pp-A3), responsible for purple pericarp have been pinpointed in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) the causative genes along with functional and non-functional alleles are still unknown. Here, using a quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping approach on a RIL population derived from purple and non-purple durum wheat genotypes, we identified three major regions on chromosomes 2A, 3A, and 7B explaining the highest phenotypic variation (> 50%). Taking advantage of the Svevo genome, a MYB was reannotated on chromosome 7B and reported as a candidate for Pp-B1. An insertion of ~ 1.6 kb within the first exon led to a non-functional allele (TdPpm1b), whereas the functional allele (TdPpm1a) was characterized and released for the first time in durum wheat. Pp-A3 was instead identified as a duplicated gene, of which only one was functional. The promoter sequencing of the functional allele (TdPpb1a) revealed six 261-bp tandem repeats in purple durum wheat, whereas one unit (TdPpb1b) was found in the yellow once. Functional molecular markers at both loci were developed to precisely discriminate purple and not purple genotypes, representing a valuable resource for selecting superior purple durum lines at early growth stages. Overall, our results expand the understanding of the function of MYB and bHLH activators in durum wheat, paving new ways to explore cis-regulatory elements at the promoter level.