Allelic variations of phytoene synthase (PSY) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) genes can be accurately characterized by functional markers in wheat. In the present study, we used the functional markers YP7A, YP7A 2, YP7B 1, YP7B 2, YP7B 3, YP7B 4, for Psy A1 and Psy B1 on chromosomes 7AL and 7BL, respectively, related to yellow pigment content, as well as the marker PPO18 for Ppo A1 on chromosome 2AL determining PPO activity, to test 221 winter wheat varieties. The results showed that: (1) 78 varieties had the allele Psy A1b for lower yellow pigment content, with a frequency 35.3%; 117 varieties contained Psy B1b for lower yellow pigment content, with a frequency of 52.9%;31 varieties possessed Psy B1c for higher yellow pigment content, with a frequency of 14.0%; 4 varieties had Psy B1d, with a frequency of 1.8%; and no Psy B1e allele was detected; (2) 119 varieties had the allele Ppo A1b related to lower PPO activity, with a frequency of 53.8%; (3) only 25 varieties contained desired alleles for PSY and PPO genes mentioned above, thus it is essential to combine the desired alleles in a variety targeting for the improvement of processing quality of Chinese noodles and steam bread. The markers used in this study are allele specific, showing good repeatability and high accuracy, and they can be efficiently applied in molecular marker assisted breeding for wheat quality improvement. |