Improving winter hardiness in wheat using genomic technologies

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Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a widely adapted crop, grown across a wide range of environments from 67º N in Scandinavia and Russia to 45º S in Argentina, including elevated regions in the tropics and sub-tropics (Feldman, 1995). Most of this wide adaptation is due to wheat's tolerance to cold temperatures. Winter wheat, unlike spring wheat, requires to be exposed to cold temperature (vernalization) for a period of time, for it to flower. It often yields more than spring wheat and for many reasons ranging from easier management practices to being more environment friendly and beneficial component of the cropping system is favoured by many growers and agronomists. However, a successful variety of winter wheat is the one that can tolerate sub-zero temperatures, as low as -20 C, often acquired through a process of cold acclamation. This research is designed to study different aspects of cold tolerance and winter hardening using a variety of novel approaches. We will attempt to better understand the genetics of winter hardiness as influenced by the need for vernalization. This will include our attempt to identify the genes and their region in the wheat genome. We will also attempt to understand the physiological mechanisms that control this important characteristic of the winter wheat plant. We expect to be able to characterize a wide range of genetic diversity in winter wheat for winter hardiness, their response to cold treatment. We will then examine a selected set of these wheat genotypes for how they interact with environment and management. The outcome of this research is expected to provide novel tools for plant breeders, assisting them in making more efficient selection for winter hardiness in their breeding program. A better understanding of the physiology of winter hardiness is expected to help the growers making more informed management decisions such as choice of varieties and planting time.