Genetics and physiology of wheat development to flowering: Tools to breed for improved adaptation and yield potential (ADAPTAWHEAT)

The objective of the ADAPTAWHEAT project is the delivery of knowledge, variation and tools to breeding programmes for developmental attributes of wheat that will improve adaptation and yield in the light of predicted climate change. This addresses short-term global and European food security issues and establishes a platform for long-term genetic gain and maintenance breeding. Controlled environment experiments investigate specific environmental interactions including day length, ambient temperature, and heat stress. Data analysis will aid the construction of new wheat flowering models that can be used to refine existing hypotheses related to adaptation and crop performances. The project aims to assemble a varied range of the genetic materials necessary to test and extend these hypotheses in the form of predictive models.