Introducing Beneficial Alleles from Plant Genetic Resources into the Wheat Germplasm

Wheat genetic resources have avoided disease pandemics, improved food security, and reduced environmental footprints: A review of historical impacts and future opportunities

The use of plant genetic resources (PGR)-wild relatives, landraces, and isolated breeding gene pools-has had substantial impacts on wheat breeding for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, while increasing nutritional value, end-use quality, and grain yield. In the Global South, post-Green Revolution genetic yield gains are generally achieved with minimal additional inputs. As a result, production has increased, and millions of hectares of natural ecosystems have been spared. Without PGR-derived disease resistance, fungicide use would have easily doubled, massively increasing selection pressure for fungicide resistance. It is estimated that in wheat, a billion liters of fungicide application have been avoided just since 2000. This review presents examples of successful use of PGR including the relentless battle against wheat rust epidemics/pandemics, defending against diseases that jump species barriers like blast, biofortification giving nutrient-dense varieties and the use of novel genetic variation for improving polygenic traits like climate resilience. Crop breeding genepools urgently need to be diversified to increase yields across a range of environments (>200 Mha globally), under less predictable weather and biotic stress pressure, while increasing input use efficiency. Given that the ~0.8 m PGR in wheat collections worldwide are relatively untapped and massive impacts of the tiny fraction studied, larger scale screenings and introgression promise solutions to emerging challenges, facilitated by advanced phenomic and genomic tools. The first translocations in wheat to modify rhizosphere microbiome interaction (reducing biological nitrification, reducing greenhouse gases, and increasing nitrogen use efficiency) is a landmark proof of concept. Phenomics and next-generation sequencing have already elucidated exotic haplotypes associated with biotic and complex abiotic traits now mainstreamed in breeding. Big data from decades of global yield trials can elucidate the benefits of PGR across environments. This kind of impact cannot be achieved without widescale sharing of germplasm and other breeding technologies through networks and public-private partnerships in a pre-competitive space.

Wild grass-derived alleles represent a genetic architecture for the resilience of modern common wheat to stresses

This review explores the integration of wild grass-derived alleles into modern bread wheat breeding to tackle the challenges of climate change and increasing food demand. With a focus on synthetic hexaploid wheat, this review highlights the potential of genetic variability in wheat wild relatives, particularly Aegilops tauschii, for improving resilience to multifactorial stresses like drought, heat, and salinity. The evolutionary journey of wheat (Triticum spp.) from diploid to hexaploid species is examined, revealing significant genetic contributions from wild grasses. We also emphasize the importance of understanding incomplete lineage sorting in the genomic evolution of wheat. Grasping this information is crucial as it can guide breeders in selecting the appropriate alleles from the gene pool of wild relatives to incorporate into modern wheat varieties. This approach improves the precision of phylogenetic relationships and increases the overall effectiveness of breeding strategies. This review also addresses the challenges in utilizing the wheat wild genetic resources, such as the linkage drag and cross-compatibility issues. Finally, we culminate the review with future perspectives, advocating for a combined approach of high-throughput phenotyping tools and advanced genomic techniques to comprehensively understand the genetic and regulatory architectures of wheat under stress conditions, paving the way for more precise and efficient breeding strategies.

The High-Molecular-Weight Glutenin Subunits of the T. timopheevii (AuAuGG) Group

Polyploid wheats include a group of tetraploids known as Timopheevii (AuAuGG), which are represented by two subspecies: Triticum timopheevii ssp. timopheevii (cultivated) and Triticum timopheevii ssp. araraticum (wild). The combined use of electrophoretic (SDS-PAGE) and chromatographic (RP-HPLC) techniques carried out on high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GSs) permitted the association of different x- and y-type subunits to the A and G genomes and the assessment of allelic variation present at corresponding loci. The results also revealed that in both subspecies, accessions are present that possess expressed y-type subunits at the Glu-A1 locus. Genes corresponding to these subunits were amplified and amplicons corresponding to x- and y-type genes associated with the A genome were detected in all accessions, including those without expressed x- and y-type subunits. The comparison with genes of polyploid wheats confirmed the structural characteristics of typical y-type genes, with the presence of seven cysteine residues and with hexapeptide and nonapeptide repeat motifs. The identification of wild and cultivated T. timopheevii with both x- and y-type glutenin subunits at the Glu-A1 and Glu-G1 loci represents a useful source for the modification of the allelic composition of HMW-GSs in cultivated wheats with the ultimate objective of improving technological properties.

Grain quality traits within the wheat (Triticum spp.) genepool: prospects for improved nutrition through de novo domestication

BACKGROUND

Wild relatives of wheat (Triticum spp.) harbor beneficial alleles for potential improvement and de novo domestication of selected genotypes with advantageous traits. We analyzed the nutrient composition in wild diploid and tetraploid wheats and their domesticated diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid relatives under field conditions in Germany and compared them with modern Triticum aestivum and Triticum durum cultivars. Grain iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) concentrations, phytate:mineral molar ratios, grain protein content (GPC) and antioxidant activity were analyzed across 125 genotypes.

RESULTS

Grain Fe and Zn concentrations in wild wheats were 72 mg kg-1 and 59 mg kg-1, respectively, with improved bioavailability indicated by Phytate:Fe and Phytate:Zn molar ratios (11.7 and 16.9, respectively) and GPC (231 g kg-1). By comparison, grain Fe and Zn concentrations in landrace taxa were 54 mg kg-1 and 55 mg kg-1, respectively, with lower Phytate:Fe and Phytate:Zn molar ratios (15.1 and 17.5, respectively) and GPC (178 g kg-1). Average grain Fe accumulation in Triticum araraticum was 73 mg kg-1, reaching 116 mg kg-1, with high Fe bioavailability (Phyt:Fe: 11.7; minimum: 7.2). Wild wheats, landraces and modern cultivars showed no differences in antioxidant activity. Triticum zhukovskyi stood out with high grain micronutrient concentrations and favorable molar ratios. It was also the only taxon with elevated antioxidant activity.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate alteration of grain quality during domestication. T. araraticum has promising genotypes with advantageous grain quality characteristics that could be selected for de novo domestication. Favorable nutritional traits in the GGAA wheat lineage (T. araraticum and T. zhukovskyi) hold promise for improving grain quality traits. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Characterization among and within Sicilian Tetraploid Wheat Landraces by Gluten Protein Analysis for Traceability Purposes

The criteria of "Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability" as well as a high "overall quality index" are used to register the Italian modern varieties to the national register. Differently, local conservation varieties can be certified under different EU Directives that facilitate, as an overall objective, the preservation of biodiversity and the containment of genetic erosion. In recent years, products derived from ancient grains are perceived to be healthier and more sustainable by consumers, especially in Italy, with consequent higher market prices. The ancient tetraploid wheat varieties registered in the national register of conservation varieties amount to 28, 24 of which are Sicilian. They are supposed to have wide genetic variability compared to modern ones, making them vulnerable to fraud because they are difficult to trace. It is therefore important to have tools able to discriminate between autochthonous Sicilian varieties. This can be completed by gluten proteins composition, which also provides information on the technological properties of derived products. Fifty-one accessions belonging to twenty-two ancient varieties of Sicilian tetraploid (mostly durum) wheat were analyzed. Although wide intra-accession and intra-varietal variability measurements were assessed, the gliadin pattern of bulks of seeds belonging to each variety was discriminatory. Moreover, differences in technological attitudes were found between landraces. This paves the way to use gluten protein patterns for traceability, allowing local farmers and producers to valorize their products and assure consumers regarding the transparency of the entire supply chain.

Characterization of the Moroccan Barley Germplasm Preserved in the Polish Genebank as a First Step towards Selecting Forms with Increased Drought Tolerance

In marginal, arid, and semi-arid areas of Morocco, crops are often exposed to multiple abiotic and biotic stresses that have a major impact on yield. Farmer-maintained Moroccan landraces have been shaped by the impact of very strong selection pressures, gradually adapting to the local ecosystem and obsolete low-input agricultural practices without improvement towards high yield and quality. Considering the increasing threat of drought in Poland, it is necessary to introduce germplasm with tolerance to water deficit into barley breeding programs. The aim of this research was a DArTseq-based genetic characterization of a collection of germplasm of Moroccan origin, conserved in the Polish genebank. The results showed that all conserved landraces have a high level of heterogeneity and their gene pool is different from the material developed by Polish breeders. Based on the analysis of eco-geographical data, locations with extremely different intensities of drought stress were selected. A total of 129 SNPs unique to accessions from these locations were identified. In the neighborhood of the clusters of unique SNPs on chromosomes 5H and 6H, genes that may be associated with plant response to drought stress were identified. The results obtained may provide a roadmap for further research to support Polish barley breeding for increased drought tolerance.

Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly and Population Genomic Analyses Reveal Geographic Variation and Population Genetic Structure of Prunus tenella

Prunus tenella is a rare and precious relict plant in China. It is an important genetic resource for almond improvement and an indispensable material in ecological protection and landscaping. However, the research into molecular breeding and genetic evolution has been severely restricted due to the lack of genome information. In this investigation, we created a chromosome-level genomic pattern of P. tenella, 231 Mb in length with a contig N50 of 18.1 Mb by Hi-C techniques and high-accuracy PacBio HiFi sequencing. The present assembly predicted 32,088 protein-coding genes, and an examination of the genome assembly indicated that 94.7% among all assembled transcripts were alignable to the genome assembly; most (97.24%) were functionally annotated. By phylogenomic genome comparison, we found that P. tenella is an ancient group that diverged approximately 13.4 million years ago (mya) from 13 additional closely related species and about 6.5 Mya from the cultivated almond. Collinearity analysis revealed that P. tenella is highly syntenic and has high sequence conservation with almond and peach. However, this species also exhibits many presence/absence variants. Moreover, a large inversion at the 7588 kb position of chromosome 5 was observed, which may have a significant association with phenotypic traits. Lastly, population genetic structure analysis in eight different populations indicated a high genetic differentiation among the natural distribution of P. tenella. This high-quality genome assembly provides critical clues and comprehensive information for the systematic evolution, genetic characteristics, and functional gene research of P. tenella. Moreover, it provides a valuable genomic resource for in-depth study in protection, developing, and utilizing P. tenella germplasm resources.

Investigation of genetic diversity of Iranian wild relatives of bread wheat using ISSR and SSR markers

BACKGROUND

Wild relatives of wheat are one of the most important genetic resources to use in wheat breeding programs. Therefore, identifying wild relatives of wheat and being aware of their diversity, is undeniably effective in expanding the richness of the gene pool and the genetic base of new cultivars and can be a useful tool for breeders in the future. The present study was performed to evaluate the molecular diversity among 49 accessions of the genera Aegilops and Triticum in the National Plant Gene Bank of Iran using two DNA-based markers, i.e., SSR and ISSR. Also, the present study aimed to examine the relationships among the accessions studied belonging to different genetic backgrounds.

RESULTS

Ten SSR and tan ISSR primers produced 2065 and 1524 polymorphism bands, respectively. The number of Polymorphic Bands (NPB), the Polymorphism Information Content (PIC), Marker Index (MI), and Resolving Power (Rp) in SSR marker was 162 to 317, 0.830 to 0.919, 1.326 to 3.167, and 3.169 to 5.692, respectively, and in the ISSR marker, it was from 103 to 185, 0.377 to 0.441, 0.660 to 1.151, and 3.169 to 5.693, respectively. This indicates the efficiency of both markers in detecting polymorphism among the accessions studied. The ISSR marker had a higher polymorphism rate, MI, and Rp than the SSR marker. Molecular analysis of variance for both DNA-based markers showed that the genetic variation within the species was more than the genetic diversity between them. The high level of genomic diversity discovered in the Aegilops and Triticum species proved to provide an ideal gene pool for discovering genes useful for wheat breeding. The accessions were classified into eight groups based on SSR and ISSR markers using the UPGMA method of cluster analysis. According to the cluster analysis results, despite similarities between the accessions of a given province, in most cases, the geographical pattern was not in accordance with that observed using the molecular clustering. Based on the coordinate analysis, neighboring groups showed the maximum similarities, and distant ones revealed the maximum genetic distance from each other. The genetic structure analysis successfully separated accessions for their ploidy levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Both markers provided a comprehensive model of genetic diversity between Iranian accessions of Aegilops and Triticum genera. Primers used in the present study were effective, informative, and genome-specific which could be used in genome explanatory experiments.

Finding needles in a haystack: identification of inter-specific introgressions in wheat genebank collections using low-coverage sequencing data

Recently, entire genebank collections of wheat have been extensively characterized with sequencing data. We have identified introgressions using these genotyping-by-sequencing and whole-genome sequencing data. On the basis of our results, we provide information about predicted introgressions at 1-Mb resolution for 9,172 wheat samples as a resource for breeders and scientists. We recommend that all plant genetic resources, including genebank collections, be characterized using a combination of variant calling and introgression prediction. This is necessary to identify potential duplicates in collections efficiently and reliably, and to select promising germplasms with potentially beneficial introgressions for further characterization and prospective breeding application.

Global transcriptome analysis of allopolyploidization reveals large-scale repression of the D-subgenome in synthetic hexaploid wheat

Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) lines are created as pre-breeding germplasm to diversify the D subgenome of hexaploid wheat and capitalize upon the untapped genetic diversity of the Aegilops tauschii gene pool. However, the phenotypes observed in the Ae. tauschii parents are not always recovered in the SHW lines, possibly due to inter-subgenome interactions. To elucidate this post-polyploidization genome reprogramming phenomenon, we performed RNA-seq of four SHW lines and their corresponding tetraploid and diploid parents, across ten tissues and three biological replicates. Homoeologue expression bias (HEB) analysis using more than 18,000 triads suggests massive suppression of homoeoalleles of the D subgenome in SHWs. Comparative transcriptome analysis of the whole-genome gene set further corroborated this finding. Alternative splicing analysis of the high-confidence genes indicates an additional layer of complexity where all five splice events are identified, and retained intron is predominant. Homoeologue expression upon resynthesis of hexaploid wheat has implications to the usage and handling of this germplasm in breeding as it relates to capturing the effects of epistatic interaction across subgenomes upon polyploidization. Special considerations must be given to this germplasm in pre-breeding activities to consider the extent of the inter-subgenome interactions on gene expression and their impact on traits for crop improvement.

Can the Wild Perennial, Rhizomatous Rice Species Oryza longistaminata be a Candidate for De Novo Domestication?

As climate change intensifies, the development of resilient rice that can tolerate abiotic stresses is urgently needed. In nature, many wild plants have evolved a variety of mechanisms to protect themselves from environmental stresses. Wild relatives of rice may have abundant and virtually untapped genetic diversity and are an essential source of germplasm for the improvement of abiotic stress tolerance in cultivated rice. Unfortunately, the barriers of traditional breeding approaches, such as backcrossing and transgenesis, make it challenging and complex to transfer the underlying resilience traits between plants. However, de novo domestication via genome editing is a quick approach to produce rice with high yields from orphans or wild relatives. African wild rice, Oryza longistaminata, which is part of the AA-genome Oryza species has two types of propagation strategies viz. vegetative propagation via rhizome and seed propagation. It also shows tolerance to multiple types of abiotic stress, and therefore O. longistaminata is considered a key candidate of wild rice for heat, drought, and salinity tolerance, and it is also resistant to lodging. Importantly, O. longistaminata is perennial and propagates also via rhizomes both of which are traits that are highly valuable for the sustainable production of rice. Therefore, O. longistaminata may be a good candidate for de novo domestication through genome editing to obtain rice that is more climate resilient than modern elite cultivars of O. sativa.

Genetic approaches to exploit landraces for improvement of Triticum turgidum ssp. durum in the age of climate change

Addressing the challenges of climate change and durum wheat production is becoming an important driver for food and nutrition security in the Mediterranean area, where are located the major producing countries (Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Syria). One of the emergent strategies, to cope with durum wheat adaptation, is the exploration and exploitation of the existing genetic variability in landrace populations. In this context, this review aims to highlight the important role of durum wheat landraces as a useful genetic resource to improve the sustainability of Mediterranean agroecosystems, with a focus on adaptation to environmental stresses. We described the most recent molecular techniques and statistical approaches suitable for the identification of beneficial genes/alleles related to the most important traits in landraces and the development of molecular markers for marker-assisted selection. Finally, we outline the state of the art about landraces genetic diversity and signature of selection, already identified from these accessions, for adaptability to the environment.

Large-scale genotyping and phenotyping of a worldwide winter wheat genebank for its use in pre-breeding

Plant genetic resources (PGR) stored at genebanks are humanity's crop diversity savings for the future. Information on PGR contrasted with modern cultivars is key to select PGR parents for pre-breeding. Genotyping-by-sequencing was performed for 7,745 winter wheat PGR samples from the German Federal ex situ genebank at IPK Gatersleben and for 325 modern cultivars. Whole-genome shotgun sequencing was carried out for 446 diverse PGR samples and 322 modern cultivars and lines. In 19 field trials, 7,683 PGR and 232 elite cultivars were characterized for resistance to yellow rust - one of the major threats to wheat worldwide. Yield breeding values of 707 PGR were estimated using hybrid crosses with 36 cultivars - an approach that reduces the lack of agronomic adaptation of PGR and provides better estimates of their contribution to yield breeding. Cross-validations support the interoperability between genomic and phenotypic data. The here presented data are a stepping stone to unlock the functional variation of PGR for European pre-breeding and are the basis for future breeding and research activities.

In situ occurrence and protection of crop wild relatives in Italian sites of natura 2000 network: Insights from a data-driven approach

Aim of this work is to evaluate the in situ status of different crop wild relative species in Italy by analysing the geographic distribution of their populations and to suggests possible strategies to improve their future conservation. The work has been focused on different species of the Allium, Beta, Brassica, Secale and Triticum genera that are of priority at European and global levels for the economic importance of the related crops, the level of threat, as well as the potential for use. Using information available in the Italian National Geoportal, geographical distribution and the overall percentage of populations occurring in Natura 2000 sites was initially analysed. In addition, due to the economic importance of the genus and species distribution in Italy, Brassica glabrescens, B. insularis, B. macrocarpa, B. montana, B. procumbens, B. rupestris, B. villosa were the object of additional analyses based on more detailed occurrence data, retrieved from multiple databases, and including land cover/land use and in situ and ex situ density analyses. Geographical distribution data were retrieved for 1,996 in situ populations belonging to 60 crop wild relative species: Allium (43), Brassica (11), Triticum (4), Beta (1) and Secale (1). Percentages of population occurring in Natura 2000 sites are quite different when the different species are considered; this also applies to Brassica species in most need of protection. Results of land cover/land use analysis showed that Brassica populations outside Natura 2000 areas mainly occur in anthropized sites while those within Natura 2000 mainly in sites characterised by natural and seminatural conditions. Areas where genetic reserves could be instituted and that could be the target of future Brassica resources collection missions are also suggested. Based on a large dataset of punctual geographical distribution data of population occurrences across the territory, this research shows that, in Italy, crop wild relatives in situ are in a quite precarious condition especially when species in most need of protection are considered. Our data also highlight the role of Natura 2000 Network in favouring in situ protection of these precious resources in Europe.

Choosing the right tool: Leveraging of plant genetic resources in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) benefits from selection of a suitable genomic prediction model

Genomic prediction of genebank accessions benefits from the consideration of additive-by-additive epistasis and subpopulation-specific marker effects. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and other species of the Triticum genus are well represented in genebank collections worldwide. The substantial genetic diversity harbored by more than 850,000 accessions can be explored for their potential use in modern plant breeding. Characterization of these large number of accessions is constrained by the required resources, and this fact limits their use so far. This limitation might be overcome by engaging genomic prediction. The present study compared ten different genomic prediction approaches to the prediction of four traits, namely flowering time, plant height, thousand grain weight, and yellow rust resistance, in a diverse set of 7745 accession samples from Germany's Federal ex situ genebank at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben. Approaches were evaluated based on prediction ability and robustness to the confounding influence of strong population structure. The authors propose the wide application of extended genomic best linear unbiased prediction due to the observed benefit of incorporating additive-by-additive epistasis. General and subpopulation-specific additive ridge regression best linear unbiased prediction, which accounts for subpopulation-specific marker-effects, was shown to be a good option if contrasting clusters are encountered in the analyzed collection. The presented findings reaffirm that the trait's genetic architecture as well as the composition and relatedness of the training set and test set are major driving factors for the accuracy of genomic prediction.

Accelerated Domestication of New Crops: Yield is Key

Sustainable agriculture in the future will depend on crops that are tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses, require minimal input of water and nutrients and can be cultivated with a minimal carbon footprint. Wild plants that fulfill these requirements abound in nature but are typically low yielding. Thus, replacing current high-yielding crops with less productive but resilient species will require the intractable trade-off of increasing land area under cultivation to produce the same yield. Cultivating more land reduces natural resources, reduces biodiversity and increases our carbon footprint. Sustainable intensification can be achieved by increasing the yield of underutilized or wild plant species that are already resilient, but achieving this goal by conventional breeding programs may be a long-term prospect. De novo domestication of orphan or crop wild relatives using mutagenesis is an alternative and fast approach to achieve resilient crops with high yields. With new precise molecular techniques, it should be possible to reach economically sustainable yields in a much shorter period of time than ever before in the history of agriculture.

Genetic Variability, Character Association, and Path Coefficient Analysis in Transplant Aman Rice Genotypes

A field experiment was carried out with 20 genotypes of Transplant Aman (T. Aman) rice at the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Salna, Gazipur-1706, Bangladesh. The study was performed to evaluate the genetic deviation, trait association, and path coefficient (PC) based on grain yield (GY) and different yield-contributing agronomic characters. Variance analysis displayed extensive traits-wise variations across accessions, indicating variability and the opportunity for genetic selection for desirable traits. The high mean, range, and genotypic variances observed for most of the characters indicated a wide range of variation for these traits. All the characters indicated the minimum influence of environment on the expression of the trait and genetic factors had a significant role in the expressivity of these characters. High heritability in broad sense (h²_b) and high to moderate genetic advance in percent of the mean (GAPM) were recorded for all the characters except for panicle length (PL). Based on mean, range, and all genetic parameters, the selection of all the traits except for PL would contribute to the development of T. Aman rice genotypes. A correlation study revealed that selection based on plant height (PH), number of effective tillers per hill (NET), PL, number of filled spikelets per panicle (NFS), flag leaf length (FLL), spikelet sterility (SS) percentage, and harvest index (HI) would be effective for increasing the GY of rice. Genotypic correction with grain yield (GCGY), PC and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that direct selection of NFS, HI, SS%, and FLL would be effective for improving the GY of rice in future breeding programs.

Insights into breeding history, hotspot regions of selection, and untapped allelic diversity for bread wheat breeding

Breeding has increasingly altered the genetics of crop plants since the domestication of their wild progenitors. It is postulated that the genetic diversity of elite wheat breeding pools is too narrow to cope with future challenges. In contrast, plant genetic resources (PGRs) of wheat stored in genebanks are valuable sources of unexploited genetic diversity. Therefore, to ensure breeding progress in the future, it is of prime importance to identify the useful allelic diversity available in PGRs and to transfer it into elite breeding pools. Here, a diverse collection consisting of modern winter wheat cultivars and genebank accessions was investigated based on reduced-representation genomic sequencing and an iSelect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip array. Analyses of these datasets provided detailed insights into population structure, levels of genetic diversity, sources of new allelic diversity, and genomic regions affected by breeding activities. We identified 57 regions representing genomic signatures of selection and 827 regions representing private alleles associated exclusively with genebank accessions. The presence of known functional wheat genes, quantitative trait loci, and large chromosomal modifications, i.e., introgressions from wheat wild relatives, provided initial evidence for putative traits associated within these identified regions. These findings were supported by the results of ontology enrichment analyses. The results reported here will stimulate further research and promote breeding in the future by allowing for the targeted introduction of novel allelic diversity into elite wheat breeding pools.

The grain quality of wheat wild relatives in the evolutionary context

KEY MESSAGE

We evaluated the potential of wheat wild relatives for the improvement in grain quality characteristics including micronutrients (Fe, Zn) and gluten and identified diploid wheats and the timopheevii lineage as the most promising resources. Domestication enabled the advancement of civilization through modification of plants according to human requirements. Continuous selection and cultivation of domesticated plants induced genetic bottlenecks. However, ancient diversity has been conserved in crop wild relatives. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; Triticum durum Desf.) is one of the most important staple foods and was among the first domesticated crop species. Its evolutionary diversity includes diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species from the Triticum and Aegilops taxa and different genomes, generating an AA, BBAA/GGAA and BBAADD/GGAAAmAm genepool, respectively. Breeding and improvement in wheat altered its grain quality. In this review, we identified evolutionary patterns and the potential of wheat wild relatives for quality improvement regarding the micronutrients Iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn), the gluten storage proteins α-gliadins and high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS), and the secondary metabolite phenolics. Generally, the timopheevii lineage has been neglected to date regarding grain quality studies. Thus, the timopheevii lineage should be subject to grain quality research to explore the full diversity of the wheat gene pool.

Tritrophic defenses as a central pivot of low-emission, pest-suppressive farming systems

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the intricate connections between human and planetary health. Given that pesticide-centered crop protection degrades ecological resilience and (in-)directly harms human health, the adoption of ecologically sound, biodiversity-driven alternatives is imperative. In this Synthesis paper, we illuminate how ecological forces can be manipulated to bolster 'tritrophic defenses' against crop pests, pathogens, and weeds. Three distinct, yet mutually compatible approaches (habitat-mediated, breeding-dependent, and epigenetic tactics) can be deployed at different organizational levels, that is, from an individual seed to entire farming landscapes. Biodiversity can be harnessed for crop protection through ecological infrastructures, diversification tactics, and reconstituted soil health. Crop diversification is ideally guided by interorganismal interplay and plant-soil feedbacks, entailing resistant cultivars, rotation schemes, or multicrop arrangements. Rewarding opportunities also exist to prime plants for enhanced immunity or indirect defenses. As tritrophic defenses spawn multiple societal cobenefits, they could become core features of healthy, climate-resilient, and low-carbon food systems.

Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: A Synopsis of Coordinated National Crop Wild Relative Seed Collecting Programs across Five Continents

The Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project set out to improve the diversity, quantity, and accessibility of germplasm collections of crop wild relatives (CWR). Between 2013 and 2018, partners in 25 countries, heirs to the globetrotting legacy of Nikolai Vavilov, undertook seed collecting expeditions targeting CWR of 28 crops of global significance for agriculture. Here, we describe the implementation of the 25 national collecting programs and present the key results. A total of 4587 unique seed samples from at least 355 CWR taxa were collected, conserved ex situ, safety duplicated in national and international genebanks, and made available through the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). Collections of CWR were made for all 28 targeted crops. Potato and eggplant were the most collected genepools, although the greatest number of primary genepool collections were made for rice. Overall, alfalfa, Bambara groundnut, grass pea and wheat were the genepools for which targets were best achieved. Several of the newly collected samples have already been used in pre-breeding programs to adapt crops to future challenges.

Evolution and origin of bread wheat

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum, genome BBAADD) is a young hexaploid species formed only 8,500-9,000 years ago through hybridization between a domesticated free-threshing tetraploid progenitor, genome BBAA, and Aegilops tauschii, the diploid donor of the D subgenome. Very soon after its formation, it spread globally from its cradle in the fertile crescent into new habitats and climates, to become a staple food of humanity. This extraordinary global expansion was probably enabled by allopolyploidy that accelerated genetic novelty through the acquisition of new traits, new intergenomic interactions, and buffering of mutations, and by the attractiveness of bread wheat's large, tasty, and nutritious grain with high baking quality. New genome sequences suggest that the elusive donor of the B subgenome is a distinct (unknown or extinct) species rather than a mosaic genome. We discuss the origin of the diploid and tetraploid progenitors of bread wheat and the conflicting genetic and archaeological evidence on where it was formed and which species was its free-threshing tetraploid progenitor. Wheat experienced many environmental changes throughout its evolution, therefore, while it might adapt to current climatic changes, efforts are needed to better use and conserve the vast gene pool of wheat biodiversity on which our food security depends.

Indian Wheat Genomics Initiative for Harnessing the Potential of Wheat Germplasm Resources for Breeding Disease-Resistant, Nutrient-Dense, and Climate-Resilient Cultivars

Wheat is one of the major staple cereal food crops in India. However, most of the wheat-growing areas experience several biotic and abiotic stresses, resulting in poor quality grains and reduced yield. To ensure food security for the growing population in India, there is a compelling need to explore the untapped genetic diversity available in gene banks for the development of stress-resistant/tolerant cultivars. The improvement of any crop lies in exploring and harnessing the genetic diversity available in its genetic resources in the form of cultivated varieties, landraces, wild relatives, and related genera. A huge collection of wheat genetic resources is conserved in various gene banks across the globe. Molecular and phenotypic characterization followed by documentation of conserved genetic resources is a prerequisite for germplasm utilization in crop improvement. The National Genebank of India has an extensive and diverse collection of wheat germplasm, comprising Indian wheat landraces, primitive cultivars, breeding lines, and collection from other countries. The conserved germplasm can contribute immensely to the development of wheat cultivars with high levels of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Breeding wheat varieties that can give high yields under different stress environments has not made much headway due to high genotypes and environmental interaction, non-availability of truly resistant/tolerant germplasm, and non-availability of reliable markers linked with the QTL having a significant impact on resistance/tolerance. The development of new breeding technologies like genomic selection (GS), which takes into account the G × E interaction, will facilitate crop improvement through enhanced climate resilience, by combining biotic and abiotic stress resistance/tolerance and maximizing yield potential. In this review article, we have summarized different constraints being faced by Indian wheat-breeding programs, challenges in addressing biotic and abiotic stresses, and improving quality and nutrition. Efforts have been made to highlight the wealth of Indian wheat genetic resources available in our National Genebank and their evaluation for the identification of trait-specific germplasm. Promising genotypes to develop varieties of important targeted traits and the development of different genomics resources have also been highlighted.

Detecting major introgressions in wheat and their putative origins using coverage analysis

Introgressions from crop wild relatives (CWRs) have been used to introduce beneficial traits into cultivated plants. Introgressions have traditionally been detected using cytological methods. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based methods have been proposed to detect introgressions in crosses for which both parents are known. However, for unknown material, no method was available to detect introgressions and predict the putative donor species. Here, we present a method to detect introgressions and the putative donor species. We demonstrate the utility of this method using 10 publicly available wheat genome sequences and identify nine major introgressions. We show that the method can distinguish different introgressions at the same locus. We trace introgressions to early wheat cultivars and show that natural introgressions were utilised in early breeding history and still influence elite lines today. Finally, we provide evidence that these introgressions harbour resistance genes.

Detecting major introgressions in wheat and their putative origins using coverage analysis

Introgressions from crop wild relatives (CWRs) have been used to introduce beneficial traits into cultivated plants. Introgressions have traditionally been detected using cytological methods. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based methods have been proposed to detect introgressions in crosses for which both parents are known. However, for unknown material, no method was available to detect introgressions and predict the putative donor species. Here, we present a method to detect introgressions and the putative donor species. We demonstrate the utility of this method using 10 publicly available wheat genome sequences and identify nine major introgressions. We show that the method can distinguish different introgressions at the same locus. We trace introgressions to early wheat cultivars and show that natural introgressions were utilised in early breeding history and still influence elite lines today. Finally, we provide evidence that these introgressions harbour resistance genes.