Genetic and molecular characterization of early seed development to improve grain yield and quality

上个世纪的高人为活动使大气中二氧化碳含量升高，气温升高，并改变了全球降水模式；这些气候变化对作物生产力构成严重挑战。为了维持粮食和营养安全，在非生物胁迫条件下提高作物产量和改善营养品质是可持续生产系统的当务之急。加拿大是一个主要的农业生产国和出口国。在全球范围内，加拿大是第五大农产品出口国，每年向世界各国出口价值560亿美元的农产品。草原三省占加拿大耕地的84%，是小麦和豆类（包括扁豆和鹰嘴豆）的主要产地。春小麦（约83%）是加拿大的优势品种。但在低冬杀年份，秋种冬小麦的产量比春小麦高20 - 40%。冬小麦是一种非常环保的作物，因为它有效地利用了春季的水分，与杂草竞争，早熟。在过去十年的研究中，与最耐寒的冬小麦品种Norstar相比，我们发现了耐寒性增强、冬季存活率提高的小麦基因型。为了使冬小麦新品种对小麦种植者更具吸引力，需要将高耐寒性性状与增产和改善籽粒品质相结合。籽粒大小是籽粒产量的一个重要组成部分，籽粒大小主要受环境、植物源库关系以及决定籽粒发育早期阶段的遗传因素的影响。近年来的研究表明，小麦种子周围的母体组织决定了种子的生长和大小。本项目旨在研究不同种子大小的秋种冬小麦、黑麦和春种鹰嘴豆基因型的种子早期发育，分析与种子早期发育相关的遗传因素和调控网络。我们还将开发遗传图谱，以确定与早期种子发育相关的基因组区域。这些基础知识将用于开发遗传标记，供冬季谷物和鹰嘴豆育种者在基因组学辅助选择中使用，以组合种子大小和籽粒品质的最佳等位基因，从而提高产量和改善籽粒品质。鹰嘴豆是一种豆科作物，可以固定大气氮，降低投入成本，同时提高土壤肥力，促进可持续农业生产系统。同样，秋季播种的冬季谷物也能保护土壤，有效利用春季水分，有助于降低投入成本和建立可持续的农业生产体系。该项目的成功完成将提高粮食质量和产量，使冬季谷物和鹰嘴豆种植有利可图。从而促进可持续农业生产系统中的粮食和营养安全。

The high anthropogenic activities during the last century has elevated the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, increased air temperatures and altered the precipitation patterns around the globe; these climate changes present serious challenges to crop productivity. To maintain food and nutritional security, it is imperative to increase crop yield and improve nutritional quality under abiotic stress conditions in a sustainable production system. Canada is a major agricultural producer and exporter. Globally, Canada is the fifth largest exporter of agriculture and agri-food products worth $56 billion annually to countries around the world. The three Prairie Provinces account for 84% of the Canadian arable land and are primary producers of wheat and pulses including lentil and chickpea. Spring wheat (~83%) is the dominant type grown in Canada. However, in years with low winter kill, fall seeded winter wheat produces 20 - 40% higher yield than spring wheat. Winter wheat is a very environmentally friendly crop as it efficiently uses spring moisture, out-competes the weeds and matures early. During the last decade of research, we have characterized wheat genotypes with increased cold tolerance and improved winter survival compared to the most hardy winter wheat cultivar Norstar. To make new winter wheat cultivars more attractive for wheat growers, the high winter hardiness trait needs to be combined with increased yield and improved grain quality. An important component of grain yield is seed size that is mainly affected by the environment, plant's source-sink relationship, and genetic factors determining the early stages of seed development. Recent studies show that the maternal tissues surrounding the growing seed set the limit to seed growth and size in wheat. The goal of our project is to study early seed development in fall seeded winter wheat and rye, and spring seeded chickpea genotypes varying in seed size to analyze the genetic factors and regulatory networks associated with early seed development. We will also develop genetic maps to identify the genomic regions associated with early seed development. The basic knowledge will be used to develop genetic markers for use by winter cereals and chickpea breeders in genomics assisted selection to combine optimal alleles for seed size and grain quality to increase yield and improve their grain quality. Chickpea is a leguminous crop that can fix atmospheric nitrogen, reducing input costs, while improving soil fertility and contributing to sustainable agricultural production systems. Similarly fall seeded winter cereals also protect soil, efficiently use spring moisture contributing to reduced input costs and sustainable agricultural production system. Successful completion of the project will result in improved grain quality and yield, making winter cereals and chickpea cultivation profitable.  Thus contributing to food and nutrition security in a sustainable agricultural production system.