4DWheat: Diversity, Domestication, Discovery, and Delivery

• Term:  4 years, beginning in 2020

• Status: Ongoing

• Funding Amount: $1,000,000

• Lead Researcher(s): Dr. Curtis Pozniak (University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK) and Dr. Sylvie Cloutier (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON)

• Funding Partners: Alberta Wheat Commission, Genome Canada, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture - Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), Western Grains Research Foundation, and Manitoba Crop Alliance.

Project Description

Wheat improvement efforts will benefit from genetic resources that possess adaptation to biotic/abiotic stresses, yield potential/stability, more efficient nutrient use and photosynthetic abilities. However, deployment of genetic resources in breeding has been hindered by non-adaptive traits, silencing and linkage drag. These issues can now be addressed through genomic solutions, together with digital phenotyping and bioinformatic platforms, to perfect the delivery of varieties to farmer’s fields and consumers. This research team has made substantial progress in wheat genomics research over the past five years, including the release of fully assembled and annotated reference sequences of multiple wheat cultivars, landraces and wild relatives.

This project focuses on five major themes namely: Genomic-Assisted Utilization of Diversity (Genomic and performance data of synthetic wheats, their progenitors and other populations will be analyzed to predict combining abilities for better parent selections); Genomic Dissection of Gene Suppression (Transfer of desirable alleles across ploidy levels often results in gene suppression, thereby preventing full expression of phenotype. Understanding these suppression mechanisms will enable strategies to facilitate the successful transfer of alleles across ploidy levels and the utilization of diverse germplasm in breeding); Recombination (The molecular processes underlying recombination will be exploited to modify recombination, which will create novel gene combinations and minimize linkage drag, thereby enabling alien introgressions); Forward Genetics for Elite Alleles (to develop and validate robust marker-trait associations for yield components and resistance to important wheat diseases that are relevant to our unique germplasm and agro-ecological environments; and GE3LS- Valuating Wheat Genomics (The economic value of past genetic advances in wheat within modern farming systems through the lenses of economic returns, risk, variety adoption and natural capital will be estimated. The GE3LS research results will help policymakers make informed choices regarding wheat innovation in Canada).

The proposed research outcomes will benefit Canadians through the genomic acceleration and deployment of novel germplasm into wheat breeding programs. The release of higher-yielding varieties adapted to Canadian environments will enhance producers’ returns and ensure a stable food supply in Canada and globally. This project is international in scope and aligns with breeding programs at the University of Saskatchewan, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the industry partners. The project will also benefit from the germplasm and phenomic capacity of all organizations involved, including the use of digital phenotyping platforms, developed at the Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre (P2IRC), University of Saskatchewan.