Evidence for increasing global wheat yield potential

Abstract

Wheat is the most widely grown food crop, with 761 Mt produced globally in 2020. To meet the expected grain demand by mid-century, wheat breeding strategies must continue to improve upon yield-advancing physiological traits, regardless of climate change impacts. Here, the best performing doubled haploid (DH) crosses with an increased canopy photosynthesis from wheat field experiments in the literature were extrapolated to the global scale with a multi-model ensemble of process-based wheat crop models to estimate global wheat production. The DH field experiments were also used to determine a quantitative relationship between wheat production and solar radiation to estimate genetic yield potential. The multi-model ensemble projected a global annual wheat production of 1,050 ± 145 Mt due to the improved canopy photosynthesis, a 37% increase, without expanding cropping area. Achieving this genetic yield potential would meet the lower estimate of the projected grain demand in 2050, albeit with considerable challenges.

A Review on Regulation of Irrigation Management on Wheat Physiology, Grain Yield, and Quality

“…Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the major crops and occupies an essential position in agricultural production, providing around 20% of calories and protein in the human diet [ 1 ]. Global wheat production is approximately 761 Mt in 2020 [ 1 ].…”

“…Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the major crops and occupies an essential position in agricultural production, providing around 20% of calories and protein in the human diet [ 1 ]. Global wheat production is approximately 761 Mt in 2020 [ 1 ]. In order to meet the expected global grain demand by 2050, wheat production must be improved continuously in the context of climate change [ 2 ].…”

Contributions of plant breeding to soil carbon storage: Retrospect and prospects

“…A maximum harvest index of 0.55-0.60 has been estimated for crops that produce above-ground grain or oilseeds because they depend on stable structure to distribute leaf area, support reproductive organs, and prevent lodging (Austin et al, 1980;Berry et al, 2007). While there is likely further room for improvement in the harvest index of wheat (Guarin et al, 2022), our results suggest that corn and soybeans are already close to this limit (Figure 2). This implies that further increases in yield will necessitate greater crop biomass production and likely result in more crop C being returned to the soil as aboveground residue for corn and soybeans.…”

Tebuconazole-Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Encapsulated with Chitosan and Their Application in Wheat Growth

“…Annually, 20% of wheat, the world’s most widely grown crop and consumed food, is lost due to pests and diseases, − with fungal, viral, and bacterial pathogens causing the most serious damage. Currently, triazole-based pesticides, which provide protection, treatment, and eradication through their broad-spectrum bactericidal properties, represent the most commonly used class of antibacterial drugs during wheat growth. , Of these, tebuconazole (Teb) is the most widely applied one, − but being water soluble, its effective bacteriostatic time after applications tends to be short. , Thus, it is difficult to achieve long-term control of crop pathogens even by increasing the dosage of Teb.…”