SAFERGUARDING SONORA'S WHEAT FROM CLIMATE CHANGE

索诺拉贡献了墨西哥小麦总产量的45%，然而，由于气候变化，高温和干旱日益成为索诺拉乃至全球日益严重的问题，这一产量正受到越来越大的影响。因此，“保护”索诺拉小麦免受高温和干旱胁迫的紧迫性日益增加。在这个项目中，将组建一个独特的小麦小组，代表全球目前已知的最耐受性的小麦基因型和品种。将在索诺拉的田间条件下评估和分析该高温和干旱面板，以选择表现最佳的面板，并在分子和生理水平上对这些面板进行详细分析，以揭示耐受性机制并确定潜在基因。大多数胁迫反应的分子生理学研究都是使用不耐性参考基因型进行的，主要是因为遗传资源可用，此外，植物通常在实验室条件下生长。因此，我们目前对作物的耐受性特异性应激反应知之甚少，对小麦的了解就更少了。因此，该项目将首次对小麦的“真正”耐受性机制进行全面研究，这将对研究界和育种计划产生重大影响。本项目将详细分析的干旱响应途径之一与糖在逆境耐受性中的作用以及通过海藻糖-6-磷酸（T6P）调节糖分配给种子有关。已经证明外施T6P可以增强耐旱性，因此该途径内的基因是本项目的主要目标。其中一个基因（TPS）特别令人感兴趣，并且已经使用crispr - cas9技术进行了基因编辑。目前，很少有研究超越了这种技术在小麦上有效的概念验证，因此，这个项目将开创这种突破性技术在小麦改良中的应用，提供一个具有里程碑意义的研究。该项目将由位于索诺拉的CIAD和英国的洛桑研究中心（RRes）合作开展，利用pi的广泛专业知识和现有合作，以及它们与CIMMYT和ICARDA建立的伙伴关系，并与正在进行的小麦研究项目整合，如英国的“设计未来小麦”（DFW），“国际小麦产量伙伴关系”（IWYP）或“炎热干燥气候下的小麦”。澳大利亚产业转型研究中心该项目产生的数据不仅将大大提高我们对小麦耐受性机制的理解，而且通过这个现有的网络，将告诉育种者哪些性状和基因是目标和选择的。通过提供经过验证的耐热和耐旱种质资源，提供耐受性机制的详细信息，以更好地进行有针对性的表型和选择，以及分子标记，以选择优质的耐受性相关基因，该项目将在做优秀科学的同时实现耐受性育种。

Sonora contributes 45% of the total wheat production in Mexico, however this is becoming increasingly compromised by high temperature and drought, which are an increasing problem in Sonora and globally due to climate change. There is therefore a growing urgency to "safeguard" Sonora's wheat from heat and drought stress. Within this project, a unique wheat panel will be assembled representing the most tolerant wheat genotypes and varieties currently known, globally. This Heat and Drought panel will be evaluated and analysed under field conditions in Sonora to select the best-performers and these will be analysed in detail at the molecular and physiological level to unravel the tolerance mechanisms and identify the underlying genes. Most molecular-physiological studies on stress responses have been conducted using intolerant reference genotypes, mainly because genetic resources are available, and in addition, plants are often grown under laboratory conditions. We therefore presently have very little information on tolerant-specific stress responses in crops, and even less in wheat. This project will therefore generate a first-of-its-kind comprehensive study on "true" tolerance mechanisms in wheat and this will have large implications for the research community and for breeding programs. One of the drought responsive pathways that will be analysed in detail within this project is related to the role of sugars in stress tolerance and the regulation of sugar allocation to seeds via trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P). It has already been proven that external application of T6P can enhance drought tolerance and the genes within this pathway are therefore prime targets of this project. One of these genes (TPS) is of particular interest and has already been subjected to gene editing using CRIPR-Cas9 technology. There are currently very few studies that go beyond the proof-of-concept that this technology works in wheat and this project will therefore pioneer this breakthrough technology for applications in wheat improvement, providing a land-mark study. Sharing expertise and joining forces, this project will be conducted in collaboration between CIAD in Sonora and Rothamsted Research (RRes) in the UK, building on the broad expertise and pre-existing collaborations of the PIs, their established partnership with CIMMYT and ICARDA, as well as integration with ongoing wheat research programs, such as "Designing Future Wheat" (DFW) in the UK, "International Wheat Yield Partnership" (IWYP) or "Wheat for a Hot and Dry Climate", an Australian Industrial Transformation Research Hub. The data generated within this project will not only greatly enhance our understanding of tolerance mechanisms in wheat, but, via this existing network, will inform breeders about which traits and genes to target and select for. Through provision of validated heat and drought tolerant germplasm, detailed information on tolerance mechanisms for better targeted phenotyping and selection, as well as molecular markers for selection of superior tolerance-related genes, this project will enable tolerance breeding whilst doing excellent science.