title: Exploiting genetic diversity from landraces in wheat breeding for adaptation to climate change.
abstract: Climate change has generated unpredictability in the timing and amount of rain, as well as extreme heat and cold spells that have affected grain yields worldwide and threaten food security. Sources of specific adaptation related to drought and heat, as well as associated breeding of genetic traits, will contribute to maintaining grain yields in dry and warm years. Increased crop photosynthesis and biomass have been achieved particularly through disease resistance and healthy leaves. Similarly, sources of drought and heat adaptation through extended photosynthesis and increased biomass would also greatly benefit crop improvement. Wheat landraces have been cultivated for thousands of years under the most extreme environmental conditions. They have also been cultivated in lower input farming systems for which adaptation traits, particularly those that increase the duration of photosynthesis, have been conserved. Landraces are a valuable source of genetic diversity and specific adaptation to local environmental conditions according to their place of origin. Evidence supports the hypothesis that landraces can provide sources of increased biomass and thousand kernel weight, both important traits for adaptation to tolerate drought and heat. Evaluation of wheat landraces stored in gene banks with highly beneficial untapped diversity and sources of stress adaptation, once characterized, should also be used for wheat improvement. Unified development of databases and promotion of data sharing among physiologists, pathologists, wheat quality scientists, national programmes, and breeders will greatly benefit wheat improvement for adaptation to climate change worldwide.
authors.affiliation: CIMMYT, PO Box 39, Emek, 06511 Ankara, Turkey m.dasilva@cgiar.org.
authors.forename: Marta S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, 362D Plant Science Building, 1875 N. 38th Street, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, USA Crop Science Department, 15 F, Mogamaa El-Abadia, Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22516, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: El-Basyoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, 362D Plant Science Building, 1875 N. 38th Street, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, USA.
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Baenziger
authors.affiliation: CIMMYT, Int. Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Sukhwinder
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: IRTA, Avda Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain.
authors.forename: Conxita
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Royo
authors.affiliation: Central Field Crops Research Institute, Şehit Cem Ersever Cad. No: 9-11 Yenimahalle, 06520 Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kursad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozbek
authors.affiliation: Gap Uluslararası Tarımsal Araştırma ve Eğitim Merkezi Silvan Yolu Üzeri 9. Km PK.72, 21110 Diyarbakir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Husnu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aktas
authors.affiliation: Bahri Dagdas Uluslararasi Tarimsal Arastirma Enstitüsü, PK:125, Karatay, 42020 Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.affiliation: Bahri Dagdas Uluslararasi Tarimsal Arastirma Enstitüsü, PK:125, Karatay, 42020 Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.affiliation: Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama 244-0813, Japan.
authors.forename: Alagu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manickavelu
authors.affiliation: Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama 244-0813, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ban
authors.affiliation: CIMMYT, Int. Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Prashant
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vikram
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D001947:Breeding / Q000379:methods*; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D014644:Genetic Variation; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Bottleneck; conservation; diversity; drought; durum wheat; heat.