ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Deciphering the Genetic Code of Wheat Genotypes:
A Regional Perspective in Pakistan
on Morpho-Agronomic Traits and Protein Profiling
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1
Department of Genetics, University of Karachi 75270, Pakistan
2
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University,
Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
3
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University,
P.O. 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
4
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory
of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,
Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518020, China
Submission date: 2024-05-25
Final revision date: 2024-09-05
Acceptance date: 2025-02-16
Online publication date: 2025-04-22
Corresponding author
Nadia Khan
Department of Genetics, University of Karachi, 75270, Karachi, Pakistan
Abdul Waheed
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory
of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences,
Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518020, China
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ABSTRACT
Wheat is a staple diet due to its breadmaking quality, which is governed by seed storage proteins.
This research evaluated genetic variability in morphological attributes and profiled gluten proteins
in wheat genotypes. Sixty wheat varieties from Pakistan were assessed for agronomic traits, while
the diversity of endosperm storage proteins in sixty-six genotypes was evaluated using SDS-PAGE.
Moderate heritability for plant height (0.60) and flag leaf area (0.54) was noted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
while Punjab showed moderate to high heritability for heading days (0.67), plant height (0.64), flag leaf
area (0.81), and flowering days (0.77). Sindh exhibited high heritability for spike length (0.88). A total of
61 alleles were found in 27 genotypes in Punjab, 49 in 15 genotypes in Sindh, and 48 in 24 genotypes
in KP. Cluster analysis revealed Bhittai as the most diverse genotype in Sindh, DN lines in KP,
and AS-02 in Punjab. These genotypes show significant diversity in gluten proteins, which
are crucial for grain quality traits. The study concludes that wheat genotypes have sufficient variation
in morpho-agronomic traits and protein profiling, which is useful for developing high-quality genotypes.
Future research should explore the genetic basis of gluten protein diversity and its relationship
with wheat quality traits using advanced genomic tools.