Australian researchers accelerate the development of heat tolerant wheat

The Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) has partnered with the Australian National University (ANU) and industry partners to invest AUS $ 1.9 million in a three year research project to accelerate the development of climate-resilient crops.

According to Director of the Agrifood Innovation Institute (AFII) at ANU, Professor Owen Atkin, rising global temperatures are already having an impact on crop yields in critical food-producing regions in both Australia and overseas.

“In recent years we have seen an increase in heat waves induced by global warming, which have impacted wheat production across Australia and the world”, Professor Atkin says. “Every one-degree increase in global mean temperature is predicted to result in a six to 10 per cent decrease in wheat yields. This is extremely concerning given the pressing need to increase Australia’s crop productivity in line with a growing global population.”

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Variation in heat tolerance

GRDC genetic technologies manager Prameela Vanambathina says that while breeders are doing a good job of producing wheat germplasm that is more heat tolerant, there are still unanswered questions about leaf carbon exchange that could fast-track outcomes.

“Leaf carbon exchange refers to the combination of two key processes: photosynthesis – taking in carbon dioxide from the air and using sunlight to turn it into food for the plant – and respiration – using that food to support plant growth while also releasing carbon dioxide back out into the atmosphere.” Ms Vanambathina says.

“We know high temperatures accelerate the development of wheat, inhibit flower development, and reduce the efficiency of photosynthesis, stunting a plant’s growth and reducing yields. But we don’t yet understand what processes are responsible for the variation in heat tolerance of Australian germplasm – which limits the breeders’ ability to introduce and develop heat tolerance into modern crops.”

More heat-resistant varieties

The research being undertaken by the ANU-led team – in partnership with University of Sydney, University of New England, University of Western Australia, InterGrain and overseas partners – will aim to understand the genetic basis for heat tolerance in wheat crops, so that ultimately, producers will have access to more heat-resistant varieties.

According to Ms Vanambathina, the investment will help the Australian grain sector to be more sustainable, productive and profitable.

Earlier research has shown that many Australian wheat cultivars are heat tolerant. However, new materials developed from extensive diversity using field-based phenotyping and genomic selection show that the heat tolerance of Australian wheat can be significantly improved.