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

实施可持续小麦（DSW）计划是必要的，因为小麦是不可或缺的全球主食，也是英国和西欧的主要作物。到2050年，小麦将在养活100亿世界人口方面发挥关键作用，但其生产是脆弱的，因为世界供应量的一半以上来自五个国家。这种脆弱性在重要的小麦出口国乌克兰的战争中得到了悲惨的体现。未来小麦产量的增加必须在化肥（氮肥是温室气体的主要来源）和水资源使用（所有小麦种植区都遭受地下水下降）没有同等增长的情况下实现。在面临这些挑战的同时，农民还面临气候变化和新疾病的产量限制影响。需要作出调整，以便在今后几十年实现可持续生产。小麦在提供人类营养方面也发挥着重要作用。随着进一步的增强，通过用更有营养的小麦填补膳食缺口，可以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，为应对这些挑战做出独特的协调一致的英国贡献。它处于有利地位，因为目前的小麦计划（DFW）已经开发出世界领先的小麦研究实验平台。广泛的专业基因发现群体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的基因后，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明。这些工具和资源，由于开放和公平的数据访问，是强大的，但需要针对正确的问题。DSW专注于与尽可能广泛的小麦专家组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，从而在不增加化肥使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。将揭示小麦发展的替代战略，即在对温度敏感性最小的情况下增加产量。DSW甚至将调查小麦如何成为CO2汇并实现净零状态，例如通过深根，并评估反映农业变化的耕作系统中的这些新特征，例如从翻耕转向减少耕作实践。这项研究依赖于对光合作用动态过程的深入理解。DSW将为现有的疾病威胁确定新的疾病抗性，并在预测新的威胁方面发挥作用。将找到可持续抗病的长期解决方案，并将其纳入可持续的综合虫害管理方案。提高小麦营养价值的目标将集中在铁、锌、钙和纤维上。小麦计划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。在该计划的核心，开放和公平的数据访问将确保DSW提供。同样，DSW已经建立了一个平台，使这项优秀的研究可以转化为植物育种家的进步。DSW投资于预育种，以便将新基因、知识和新型小麦投入育种。这种高度综合的跨学科课程是任何一个机构都无法实现的。DSW汇集了四个研究所（约翰英尼斯中心，罗萨姆斯特德，Quadram研究所和厄勒姆）和五所大学（利兹，诺丁汉，兰开斯特，布里斯托和帝国理工学院）和国家农业植物研究所的互补技能。

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.