BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme: Delivering Sustainable Wheat (DSW) Partner Grant

实施可持续小麦（DSW）计划是必要的，因为小麦是全球不可或缺的主食，也是英国和西欧的主要作物。到2050年，小麦将在养活全球100亿人口方面发挥关键作用，但其产量很脆弱，因为全球一半以上的供应仅来自5个国家。这种脆弱性在重要小麦出口国乌克兰的战争中得到了悲剧性的证明。未来小麦产量的增加必须在不增加肥料（氮肥是温室气体的主要来源）和用水（所有小麦种植区都遭受地下水减少）的情况下实现。在面临这些挑战的同时，农民还面临着气候变化和新疾病对产量的限制。为了在未来几十年实现可持续生产，需要采取适应措施。小麦在提供人类营养方面也发挥着重要作用。随着技术的进一步提高，用更有营养的小麦填补饮食缺口，就有可能减少人类的痛苦和医疗保健费用。DSW将通过与国际小麦界的紧密联系，为英国应对这些挑战做出独特的协调贡献。它在这方面处于有利地位，因为目前的小麦计划（DFW）已经开发了世界领先的小麦研究实验平台。广泛的专业基因发现种群使我们能够对大多数可用的自然多样性进行采样，并显示这种多样性的哪些元素对育种者应对所描述的挑战有用。DFW发现了其中1000个品系的遗传密码。这意味着在定位有用基因后，DSW可以了解它们在控制目标特征的分子网络中的作用。通过基因编辑，这些DNA变化的功能将得到证实。这些工具和资源由于开放和公平的数据获取而可获得，它们很强大，但需要针对正确的问题。DSW的重点是在与尽可能广泛的小麦专家群体进行长期讨论后选择的作物特性。它将促进对产量决定的理解，从而在不增加化肥用量的情况下提高生产力，从而最大限度地减少二氧化碳排放。小麦发展的替代策略，增加产量与最低敏感性的温度将被发现。DSW甚至将调查小麦如何成为二氧化碳汇并实现净零状态，例如通过深生根，并评估农业系统中反映农业变化的这些新特征，例如从犁耕转向减少耕作。这项研究依赖于对光合作用动态过程的深刻理解。DSW将识别针对现有疾病威胁的新的疾病抗性，并在预测新威胁方面发挥作用。将找到可持续抗病的长期解决办法，并将其纳入可持续虫害综合管理方案。增加小麦营养价值的目标将集中在铁、锌、钙和纤维上。小麦项目将首次进行人类干预试验，为营养改良小麦的生理益处提供直接证据。作为该计划的核心，公开和公平的数据获取将确保DSW实现目标。再一次，DSW已经建立了一个平台，这个优秀的研究可以转化为植物育种的进步。DSW投资于预育种，以便将新的基因、知识和新的小麦品种投入育种。这种高度综合的跨学科方案不可能由任何一个机构实现。DSW汇集了四个研究机构（约翰英纳斯中心、洛桑研究所、四方研究所和厄勒姆）、五所大学（利兹、诺丁汉、兰开斯特、布里斯托尔和帝国理工学院）和国家农业植物学研究所的互补技能。

Delivering Sustainable Wheat (DSW) programme is needed because wheat is an indispensable global staple and the major crop of the UK and Western Europe. Wheat will play a crucial part in feeding a world population of 10B by 2050 but its production is fragile as more than half the world supply is from just five countries. This fragility has been tragically demonstrated by the war in Ukraine, an important wheat exporter. Future increases in wheat production have to be achieved without equivalent growth in fertiliser (nitrogen fertilisers are a major source of greenhouse gasses) and water use (all wheat growing regions suffer ground water decline). While facing these challenges farmers are also confronted with yield limiting effects of climate change and new diseases. Adaptations are needed to achieve sustainable production in the coming decades. Wheat also plays an important role in delivering human nutrition. With further enhancements reductions in human misery and healthcare costs are possible by filling dietary gaps with more nutritious wheat. DSW will form a uniquely coordinated UK contribution n to these challenges with strong linkages to the international wheat community. It is in a strong position to do this because the current wheat programme (DFW) has developed world leading experimental platform for wheat research. Extensive specialist gene discovery populations allow us to sample the majority of natural diversity available and to show which elements of this diversity are useful for breeders in tackling the challenges described. DFW uncovered the genetic code for 1000s of these lines. This means that after locating useful genes DSW can understand their role in molecular networks controlling targeted characteristics. With gene editing the function of these DNA changes will be proved. These tools and resources, accessible because of open and fair data access, are powerful but need to be directed towards the right questions. DSW is focussed on crop characteristics chosen in long term discussion with the widest possible group of wheat experts. It will advance understanding of yield determination to increaseproductivity without equal rates of increase in fertiliser use, so minimising CO2 emissions. Alternative strategies of wheat development which increases yield with minimal sensitivity to temperature will be uncovered. DSW will even investigate how wheat can be a CO2 sink and achieve Net Zero status, for example by deep rooting and assess these new characteristics in farming systems that reflect changes in agriculture, such as the move from ploughing to reduced cultivation practices. This research depends on a deep understanding of the dynamic process of photosynthesis. DSW willidentify new disease resistances for existing disease threats and play its part in predicting new threats. Long term solutions for sustainable disease resistance will be found and incorporated into sustainable integrated pest management programmes. The goal to increase nutritional benefits of wheat will focus on Iron, Zinc, Calcium and fibre. For the first time, the wheat programme will conduct human intervention trials to provide direct evidence for the physiological benefits of nutritionally improved wheat. At the heart of the programme, open and fair data access will ensure that DSW delivers. Again, DSW has set up the platform that this excellent research can be translated into progress for plant breeders. DSW invests in pre-breeding so that the new genes, knowledge and new types of wheat feed into breeding. This highly integrated cross disciplinary programme could not be achieved by any one institution. DSW brings together the complementary skills of four research Institutes (John Innes Centre, Rothamsted, Quadram Institute, and Earlham) and five universities (Leeds, Nottingham, Lancaster, Bristol, and Imperial College) and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany.