We assembled a European bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) association mapping panel ( n = 480) genotyped using a 90,000 feature single nucleotide polymorphism array, with the aim of identifying genetic loci controlling resistance to four fungal diseases: yellow (stripe) rust (YR), brown (leaf) rust (BR), Septoria tritici blotch (ST) and powdery mildew (PM). Simulations showed our panel to have good power to detect genetic lo...

Flowering time synchronizes reproductive development with favorable environmental conditions to optimize yield. Improved understanding of the genetic control of flowering will help optimize varietal adaptation to future agricultural systems under climate change. Here, we investigate the genetic basis of flowering time in winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) using an eight-founder multi-parent advanced generation intercross (MA...

Key message Here, we provide an updated set of guidelines for naming genes in wheat that has been endorsed by the wheat research community. Abstract The last decade has seen a proliferation in genomic resources for wheat, including reference- and pan-genome assemblies with gene annotations, which provide new opportunities to detect, characterise, and describe genes that influence traits of interest. The expansion of genetic in...

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is a global commodity, and its production is a key component underpinning worldwide food security. Yellow rust, also known as stripe rust, is a wheat disease caused by the fungus Puccinia striiformis Westend f. sp. tritici ( Pst ), and results in yield losses in most wheat growing areas. Recently, the rapid global spread of genetically diverse sexually derived Pst races, which have now largely rep...

Key message Variety age and population structure detect novel QTL for yield and adaptation in wheat and barley without the need to phenotype. Abstract The process of crop breeding over the last century has delivered new varieties with increased genetic gains, resulting in higher crop performance and yield. However, in many cases, the alleles and genomic regions underpinning this success remain unknown. This is partly due to th...

Key message Analysis of a wheat multi-founder population identified 14 yellow rust resistance QTL. For three of the four most significant QTL, haplotype analysis indicated resistance alleles were rare in European wheat. Abstract Stripe rust, or yellow rust (YR), is a major fungal disease of wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend f. sp. tritici ( Pst ). Since 2011, the historically clonal European Ps...

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) yields are commonly affected by foliar infection by fungal pathogens. Of these, three wheat leaf blotch fungal diseases, septoria nodorum blotch (SNB), tan spot (TS) and septoria tritici blotch (STB), caused by Parastagonospora nodorum ( Pn ), Pyrenophora tritici-repentis ( Ptr ) and Zymoseptoria tritici ( Zt ), respectively, induce major yield losses. Infection results in necrotic areas on the le...

In the coming decades, larger genetic gains in yield will be necessary to meet projected demand, and this must be achieved despite the destabilizing impacts of climate change on crop production. The root systems of crops capture the water and nutrients needed to support crop growth, and improved root systems tailored to the challenges of specific agricultural environments could improve climate resiliency. Each component of roo...

Aims Selection for optimal root system architecture (RSA) is important to ensure genetic gains in the sustainable production of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). Here we examine the hypothesis that past wheat breeding has led to changes in RSA and that future breeding efforts can focus directly on RSA to improve adaptation to target environments. Methods We conducted field trials using diverse wheat varieties, including modern an...