Non-transgenic soft textured tetraploid wheat plants having grain with soft textured endosperm, endosperm therefrom and uses thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plants having soft textured endosperm, methods for constructing said non-transgenic plants using cytogenetics and classical breeding techniques, endosperm therefrom and uses thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm,
 wherein
 the soft textured endosperm is expressed from puroindoline genes carried on 
 a genome segment transferred in a 5DS(5BS) homoeologous translocation event, and 
   wherein
 the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm has functional Ph1 and diploid like behavior in meiosis. 
   
     
     
         2 . The non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant of  claim 1 , wherein the wheat plant is a durum wheat plant. 
     
     
         3 . The non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant of  claim 1 , wherein the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant stably transmits the soft textured endosperm to progeny plants in normal mendelian ratios and is thereby capable of serving as a parent for breeding stable tetraploid wheat cultivars. 
     
     
         4 . A seed of the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant of  claim 1 , wherein the seed produces a non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm. 
     
     
         5 . A non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of  claim 4 . 
     
     
         6 . A tissue culture of regenerable cells produced from the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         7 . A protoplast produced from the tissue culture of  claim 6 . 
     
     
         8 . A hybrid wheat plant, having soft textured endosperm, wherein the lineage of at least one parent plant comprises a non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm, wherein the at least one parent plant has soft textured endosperm that is expressed from puroindoline genes carried on a genome segment transferred in a 5DS(5BS) homoeologous translocation event, and wherein the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm has functional Ph1 and diploid like behavior in meiosis. 
     
     
         9 . The hybrid wheat plant of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one parent plant is a non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm, wherein the at least one parent plant has soft textured endosperm that is expressed from puroindoline genes carried on a genome segment transferred in a 5DS(5BS) homoeologous translocation event, and wherein the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm has functional Ph1 and diploid like behavior in meiosis. 
     
     
         10 . A flour milled from soft textured endosperm from a non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm, wherein the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm has functional Ph1 and diploid like behavior in meosis. 
     
     
         11 . The flour of  claim 10 , wherein the flour has a low level of damaged starch. 
     
     
         12 . The flour of  claim 10 , wherein the flour has a granulation similar to a pastry flour granulation. 
     
     
         13 . The flour of  claim 12 , wherein the flour has a median particle size of about 57 microns. 
     
     
         14 . The flour of  claim 10 , wherein the flour is a straight grade flour. 
     
     
         15 . A semolina milled from soft textured endosperm from a non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm, wherein the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm has functional Ph1 and diploid like behavior in meosis. 
     
     
         16 . The semolina of  claim 15 , wherein the semolina is used for making pasta. 
     
     
         17 . Wheat grain kernels with soft textured endosperm, from a non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm, wherein the non-transgenic tetraploid wheat plant having grain with soft textured endosperm has functional Ph1 and diploid like behavior in meiosis. 
     
     
         18 . The wheat grain kernels of  claim 17 , wherein the wheat grain kernels have a hardness index of between about 10 to about 45 as measured by the Perten SKCS 4100.