Congratulations to our researcher Verica Zelić, for successfully defending her PhD thesis `Molecular analysis of vernalization (Vrn), photoperiod (Ppd) and reduced height (Rht) genes and phenotypic evaluation of the most important agronomic traits among different wheat genotypes` at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences on January 30th, 2025.
Wheat breeding is directed at creating varieties with high and stable yields adapted to specific agroecological conditions. The adaptability of wheat is the result of the variability of genes that enable the successful cultivation in different habitats. A prerequisite for improving adaptability is the presence of sufficiently large phenotypic and molecular variability in the breeding material. The inclusion of different wheat genotypes originating from other parts of the world is one way to increase diversity and enrich it with new alleles of genes that are important for breeders. In order to fully utilize the potential of wheat collections for breeding purposes, their detailed characterization and evaluation at the molecular and phenotypic level is necessary. The research within this dissertation was carried out with the aim of determining the variability of the collection of genotypes from the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops using microsatellite loci related to vernalization, photoperiod and plant height, determining alleles of Vrn, Ppd and Rht genes using functional molecular markers and determining the influence of those alleles on agronomically important traits as well as defining morphological and physiological characteristics, yield and yield components in a field trial over two years.
To find out more details about her PhD, follow the link.