The Wheat Sustain project investigated how durum wheat (Svevo) and bread wheat (Chinese Spring) respond to environmental stresses from water scarcity and nutrient deficiencies, particularly nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P).
To accurately reproduce real field conditions while keeping precise control over water and nutrient supply, plants were grown in lysimeters. Throughout the entire crop cycle, seven treatments (T1–T7) were evaluated, ranging from optimal conditions (W+N+P) to severe resource limitation. Key physiological parameters, including stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, and fluorescence, were systematically monitored, while leaf and reproductive tissues were collected for comprehensive analyses of yield, quality, and metabolism.
Rather than focusing on individual variables, this integrated approach enabled a systematic investigation of wheat responses under combined stresses, which are among the major constraints on global agricultural productivity. By synergistically integrating genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics with agronomic and physiological data, the project significantly advanced our understanding of crop adaptive plasticity and the complex interactions between genotype and resource availability.
Overall, the results enabled the identification of factors and mechanisms underlying improved resource-use efficiency. This multidisciplinary approach led to the identification of biomarkers and candidate genes associated with nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE), phosphorus-use efficiency (PUE), and water-use efficiency (WUE), providing valuable and readily applicable tools for breeding programs aimed at developing more resilient wheat ideotypes.
To accurately reproduce real field conditions while keeping precise control over water and nutrient supply, plants were grown in lysimeters. Throughout the entire crop cycle, seven treatments (T1–T7) were evaluated, ranging from optimal conditions (W+N+P) to severe resource limitation. Key physiological parameters, including stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, and fluorescence, were systematically monitored, while leaf and reproductive tissues were collected for comprehensive analyses of yield, quality, and metabolism.
Rather than focusing on individual variables, this integrated approach enabled a systematic investigation of wheat responses under combined stresses, which are among the major constraints on global agricultural productivity. By synergistically integrating genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics with agronomic and physiological data, the project significantly advanced our understanding of crop adaptive plasticity and the complex interactions between genotype and resource availability.
Overall, the results enabled the identification of factors and mechanisms underlying improved resource-use efficiency. This multidisciplinary approach led to the identification of biomarkers and candidate genes associated with nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE), phosphorus-use efficiency (PUE), and water-use efficiency (WUE), providing valuable and readily applicable tools for breeding programs aimed at developing more resilient wheat ideotypes.