Genetics Options for Improving the Productivity of Wheat in Water-Limited and Temperature-Stressed Environments

Climate change is likely to increase variability in wheat production environments and the intensity of drought and heat stress in some areas. The identification and integration of genetic variability for improved stress tolerance into modern wheat cultivars will mitigate the impacts of climate change. There is unexploited genetic variability in the primary, secondary and tertiary gene pools and our knowledge of the physiological basis of plant stress response is improving. The stress tolerance of wheat can be improved by employing crossing strategies that pyramid physiological traits, selection techniques that use new molecular and physiological tools, genome wide breeding strategies and improved informatics. Underpinning these strategies is the efficient and accurate determination of the stress phenotype both under controlled conditions and in carefully managed field based screens.