The Blackpoint Status of Selected Tetraploid Species and Australian Durum Wheats and Breeding Lines

Blackpoint (BPt) is a brown or black discoloration at the germ end of the grain and occurs in most locations where durum wheat [Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum (Desf.) Husn.] is grown throughout the world. Its presence causes downgrading at market due to the undesirable black specks in semolina and derived pasta. Durum wheat appears to show different genetic susceptibilities to developing BPt; however, there are no extensive studies on this. This study aimed to survey the range of BPt sensitivity mainly in T. turgidum ssp. durum and to identify genotypes with low levels for future breeding efforts. In this study field methods were developed to reliably induce BPt symptoms in durum wheat. Using this approach, a wide range of durum wheat genotypes were evaluated for their BPt sensitivity status in comparison to selected Australian durum wheat cultivars and breeding lines. Only material giving consistently low BPt score (i.e., tolerant, defined as the mean BPt percentage being ≤10% over years) was identified as suitable for future introgression into a durum wheat breeding program. Several new sources of reduced susceptibility to BPt have been found and are being used in a breeding program.