Genomic unveiling of the diversity in grain protein and lysine content throughout a genebank collection of winter wheat

Globally, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major source of proteins in human nutrition despite its unbalanced amino acid composition. The low lysine content in the protein fraction of wheat can lead to protein-energy-malnutrition prominently in developing countries. A promising strategy to overcome this problem is to breed varieties which combine high protein content with high lysine content. Nevertheless, this requires the incorporation of yet undefined donor genotypes into pre-breeding programs. Genebank collections are suspected to harbor the needed genetic diversity. In the 1970s, a large-scale screening of protein traits was conducted for the wheat genebank collection in Gatersleben; however, this data has been poorly mined so far. In the present study, a large historical dataset on protein content and lysine content was curated and the corresponding adjusted entry means were calculated. High-quality phenotypic data of 558 accessions was leveraged by engaging four genomic prediction approaches. Based on the predicted phenotypes of 7,651 winter wheat accessions, few of them were recommended as donor genotypes due to suitable protein characteristic. Further investigation of the passport data suggested an association of the adjusted lysine content with the elevation of the collecting site. This publicly available information can facilitate future pre-breeding activities. HighlightHistorical data of lysine and protein content can be leveraged by engaging genomic prediction of an entire winter wheat genebank collection which enables to propose donor genotypes for pre-breeding.