Barley Vacuolar Pyrophosphatase (HVP1) Gene Confers Salinity Tolerance in Locally Adapted Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase (VP1) gene is an efficient proton pump that develops a proton gradient to promote Na+/H+ antiporter activity. Thus, it plays vital role in conferring salinity tolerance in plants. This study was planned to evaluate the performance of Hordium vulgare vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase (HVP1) gene in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Incorporation and expression of HVP1 gene in wheat lines under maize ubiquitin (UBI1) promoter was confirmed through antibiotic selection, polymerase chain reaction, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern hybridization. Seeds of transgenic wheat exhibited better germination rate compared to non-transgenic when subjected to salt stress. Augmented HVP1 expression in transgenic wheat plants improved their physiological performance compared to non-transgenic. Overexpression of HVP1 in transgenic wheat plants also promoted the agronomic performance under saline field conditions (EC 16 dS m(-1); SAR 40.5; pH 7.82-8.92) compared to non-transgenic. Higher values of germination rate, plant height, spike length, number of spikelets per spike, 1000 grain weight, grain yield and harvest index were observed in transgenic wheat during 2017-2018 growing season at BSRI, Pakka Anna, Faisalabad. An increase of about 29% in grain yield of transgenic wheat compared to non-transgenic in saline field conditions highlights the performance of HVP1 as an affective cation pump that promotes active transport of toxic salts in vacuoles. (C) 2019 Friends Science Publishers