Targeting reproductive and spike traits for improving grain yields in wheat
Term: 4 years, beginning in 2021
Status: Ongoing
Funding Amount: $471,730
Lead Researcher(s): Dr. Raju Datla (Global Institute of Food Security (GIFS)/University of Saskatchewan)
Funding Partners: Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC), Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA)
Project Description
This project will focus on the genetic improvement of wheat to increase yield through major yield contributing factors such as grain number, grain weight, spike fertility, optimal partitioning to grain, and improved grain filling (“spike traits”).
Yield is a complex trait and the challenges centered on “spike traits” present opportunities for development of new approaches to improve the grain yields in wheat. Therefore, improvements in spike size with capacity to produce more spikelets, more florets and more grains has potential to contribute on breeding activities directed to increase grain yields in Canadian wheat cultivars. The two major goals of this project are (a) discovery of new gene targets for improving spike traits and (b) the exploitation of these traits to enhance grain yields in wheat.
The research will explore the wheat lines that the team has already developed with specific spike traits along with the additional resources representing land races, genotypes, and germplasm collections of CIMMYT. The key research objectives include: 1) developmental analysis and phenotyping to identify promising lines with desirable spike traits; 2) genetic analysis and the inheritance patterns for desirable spike traits; 3) development of breeder friendly markers for these spike traits using molecular and genomic approaches; and 4) introgression of these desirable spike traits into elite wheat germplasm and/or cultivars.
Promising lines with increased number of seed per spike along with other desirable spike traits will be evaluated under field conditions for determining the efficacy of these introduced traits to increase grain yield capacity and productivity, thus will validate and create opportunities for wheat yield improvement prospects.
