Dissecting the mechanisms underlying the grain weight and grain number to boost wheat yield and improve crop adaptation

Context

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a key source of carbohydrates and proteins, providing ~20% of the calories and protein in the human diet. Yet in recent decades, global wheat yields and harvested area have shown little improvement. The main components of wheat yield are grain number and grain size. In a previous work we managed to increase grain size without affecting grain number.

The research

This collaboration between the University of Valdivia, the John Innes Centre, University of Lleida and CNAP will elucidate the physiological mechanisms and key genes that govern grain weight, grain number and grain yield in wheat by integrating the two most successful grain-weight strategies—TaGW2 disruption and TaExpA6 over-expression—within a single genetic background and assess their adaptation under environmental variation.