Global wheat production could benefit from closing the genetic yield gap

Senapati, Nimai; Semenov, Mikhail A.; Halford, Nigel G.; Hawkesford, Malcolm J.; Asseng, Senthold; Cooper, Mark E.; Ewert, Frank; Ittersum, M.K. van; Martre, Pierre; Olesen, Jørgen E.; Reynolds, Matthew P.; Rötter, Reimund P.; Webber, Heidi

doi:10.1038/s43016-022-00540-9

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…For instance, the selection of the semi-dwarf Rht-1 allele was a vital driver of the ‘green revolution’ in wheat (Peng et al , 1999); likewise, the prevalence of the less functional GNI-A1 allele enabled higher floret fertility in the modern wheat cultivars (Golan et al , 2019; Sakuma et al , 2019). However, substantial genetic yield gaps [the difference between the genetic yield potential of a crop in a particular environment to that of the potential yield of the current local cultivar] suggest the presence of untapped genetic diversity for enhancing wheat grain yield (Senapati et al , 2022). Grain yield can be optimised by fine-tuning various developmental processes (Mathan et al , 2016) and introducing ‘drastic variations’ in crop breeding (Abbai et al , 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing grain yield trade-offs in ‘Miracle-Wheat’

Abbai,

Golan,

Longin

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introducing variations in inflorescence architecture, such as the 'Miracle-Wheat' (Triticum turgidumconvar.compositum(L.f.) Filat.) with a branching spike, has relevance for enhancing wheat grain yield. However, in the spike-branching genotypes, the increase in spikelet number is generally not translated into grain yield advantage because of reduced spikelet fertility and grain weight. Here, we investigated if such trade-offs might be a function of source-sink strength by using 385 RILs developed by intercrossing the spike-branching landrace TRI 984 and CIRNO C2008, an elite durum (T. durumL.) cultivar; they were genotyped using the 25K array. Various plant and spike architectural traits, including flag leaf, peduncle and spike senescence rate, were phenotyped under field conditions for two consecutive years. On Chr 5AL, we found a new modifier QTL for spike-branching,branched headt3(bht-A3), which was epistatic to the previously knownbht-A1locus. Besides,bht-A3was associated with more grains per spikelet and a delay in flag leaf senescence rate. Importantly, favourable allelesviz.,bht-A3and grain protein content (gpc-B1) that delayed senescence are required to improve spikelet fertility and grain weight in the spike-branching RILs. In summary, achieving a balanced source-sink relationship might minimise grain yield trade-offs in Miracle-Wheat.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing grain yield trade-offs in ‘Miracle-Wheat’

Abbai,

Golan,

Longin

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…This large pool of genetic resources, with as many as 80,000 wheat accessions sourced from tetraploid species, wild relatives, and landraces, has been studied for its genetic diversity using DArTseq and SilicoDArT approaches (Sansaloni et al, 2020). The global genetic yield gap for wheat is estimated at 51% due to suboptimal crop and soil management, indicating that there is room to improve crop productivity through genetic improvements by tapping into the large wheat germplasm resources (Senapati et al, 2022). Another example is the genotyping of the entire collection of barley accessions from the German ex-situ collection, with 22,626 accessions, using genotyping-by-sequencing to differentiate and track redundant material in the genebank (Milner et al, 2019).…”

Section: Technology Diversificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversifying agrifood systems to ensure global food security following the Russia–Ukraine crisis

Neik,

Siddique,

Mayes

et al. 2023

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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The recent Russia–Ukraine conflict has raised significant concerns about global food security, leaving many countries with restricted access to imported staple food crops, particularly wheat and sunflower oil, sending food prices soaring with other adverse consequences in the food supply chain. This detrimental effect is particularly prominent for low-income countries relying on grain imports, with record-high food prices and inflation affecting their livelihoods. This review discusses the role of Russia and Ukraine in the global food system and the impact of the Russia–Ukraine conflict on food security. It also highlights how diversifying four areas of agrifood systems—markets, production, crops, and technology can contribute to achieving food supply chain resilience for future food security and sustainability.

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“…While recent research has quantified the contribution of suboptimal crop genetics and management to yield gaps, biotic burdens like weeds, pests and diseases tend to be ignored 3,5 . Expert opinion suggests that around one fifth to one third of crop production is lost to pests and diseases globally 6 , but little is known about how these losses vary in time and space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sustainable intensification of agriculture aims to increase food production without exacerbating environmental impacts, thereby avoiding the need to further expand agriculture into natural ecosystems to satisfy growing market demand 1,2 . A key metric for intensification is the crop yield gap, which is the fractional difference between the potential yield in a region under irrigated or rainfed conditions and the average yield actually achieved by farmers 1,3 . The yield gap depends on numerous factors including crop genotype, nutrient deficiency, water stress, solar radiation, growing season temperatures, management factors (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The yield gap depends on numerous factors including crop genotype, nutrient deficiency, water stress, solar radiation, growing season temperatures, management factors (e.g. reliance on manual labour) and the effects of weeds, pests and diseases 1,3,4 . Yield gaps shrink with economic development, as wealthier countries are able to invest more in technology, training, fertilizer and crop protection, but tend toward 20% as further improvements become economically and ecologically undesirable 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change, biotic yield gaps and disease pressure in cereal crops

Ali¹,

Bebber²

2022

Preprint

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Plant diseases are major causes of crop yield losses and exert a financial burden via expenditure on disease control. The magnitude of these burdens depends on biological, environmental and management factors, but this variation is poorly understood. Here we model the effects of weather on potential yield losses due to fungal plant pathogens (the biotic yield gap, Ygb) using experimental trials of fungicide-treated and untreated cereal crops in the UK, and project future Ygb under climate change. We find that Ygb varies between 10 and 20 % of fungicide-treated yields depending on crop, and increases under warmer winter and wetter spring conditions. Ygb will increase for winter wheat and winter barley under climate change, while declining for spring crops because drier summers offset the effects of warmer winters. Potential disease impacts are comparable in magnitude to the effects of suboptimal weather and crop varieties.

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Global wheat production could benefit from closing the genetic yield gap

Cited by 7 publications

References 47 publications

Balancing grain yield trade-offs in ‘Miracle-Wheat’

Balancing grain yield trade-offs in ‘Miracle-Wheat’

Diversifying agrifood systems to ensure global food security following the Russia–Ukraine crisis

Climate change, biotic yield gaps and disease pressure in cereal crops

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