Integration of Crop Physiology and Genetics to Close the Yield Gap in Wheat Under Climate Change
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R&D News & Views 11 April 2017 Integration of crop physiology and genetics to close the yield gap in wheat under climate change Dr Amarjit Basra, Principle Scientist, Pathways On behalf of Plant Impact (www.plantimpact.com), Dr Matt Audley and I attended the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center’s (CIMMYT) field day in March 2017 at the Campo Experimental Norman E. Borlaug (CENEB.) in Ciudad Obregón, dubbed by some as the “Cradle of Green Revolution.” Norman Borlaug began his wheat research here in 1944. The month of March also marks the peak wheat-growing season in Obregón, and participants attend a field day tour to see old and new wheat varieties, learn about CIMMYT programs and hear updates on the latest research. Additionally, meetings and discussions are held with the goal of contributing to the improvement of wheat research across the globe by identifying key priorities. Over 250 people from the international wheat community attended including world-leading research scientists and representatives from academia, public institutions, and industry. This provided us an excellent opportunity to foster a relationship with wheat researchers and explore partnerships. We have had some fantastic interactions with some of the researchers at CIMMYT and other organizations, especially in relation to high-temperature and drought stress. Importantly, many of them are also keen to foster better collaborations with companies like Plant Impact, recognizing that genetics and breeding alone is only a part of the integrated solution. Distinguished Scientist and Head of Bread Wheat Improvement at CIMMYT, Dr Ravi Singh and his team of scientists demonstrated accelerated progress made in genetics, pathology and breeding of wheat. In another exciting presentation, Distinguished Wheat Physiologist, Dr Matthew Reynolds, who is also on the Scientific Advisory Network of Plant Impact, demonstrated an array of sophisticated phenotyping tools his team is deploying to develop new generations of wheat to withstand abiotic stress while maintaining high-yield potential using physiological breeding and understanding the mechanisms of improved plant growth and productivity. Senior Scientist Dr Sukhwinder Singh, who leads the Seeds of Discovery team (SeedD-Wheat) walked us through his impressive heat and drought stress field experiments. Because of the consistent conditions here they can use very simple alterations to irrigation and planting date to reliably induce and screen traits for high temperature and/or drought stress conditions. Sukhwinder, who best emulates the dedication, perseverance, and innovation demonstrated by Dr. Norman Borlaug goes by his quote “Well, you go to the field. You go to the field again, and then you go to the field. When the wheat plants start to talk to you, you know you have made it.” I had the special privilege and pleasure to meet with World Food Prize Laureate, Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, the distinguished wheat breeder, who had led bread wheat breeding research at CIMMYT for more than three decades. His leadership and commitment to wheat improvement resulted in the release of more than 480 varieties of bread wheat with increased yield potential, wide adaptation, and resistance to important diseases and stresses. Plant Impact and Rothamsted Research are currently involved in a project focused on developing a commercial crop enhancement product to protect wheat yield from high temperature stress. Led by Dr. Matt Audley (photo below), this Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project leverages the scientific expertise of Rothamsted (Dr. Steve Thomas and Prof. Peter Hedden), Lancaster University (Prof. Ian Dodd) and Plant Impact (Dr. Amarjit Basra and Dr. Steve Adams) in plant signaling, reproductive development and abiotic stress to identify molecules which improve yield under heat stress and/or drought conditions. Once effective chemistry has been identified through screening, Plant Impact’s experience in formulation, field-testing and commercialization will be deployed to develop a commercial crop enhancement product, which can help with closing the gap between the genetic potential and on-farm yields. .