Genetic improvement of wheat early vigor promote weed-competitiveness under Mediterranean climate

• Published in: Plant science (Limerick) 2021-02, Vol.303, p.110785-110785, Article 110785
• Main Authors: Aharon, Shlomi, Fadida-Myers, Aviya, Nashef, Kamal, Ben-David, Roi, Lati, Ran N., Peleg, Zvi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bread wheat; Climate; Crop Production - methods; Early vigor; G × E × M interactions; Genes, Plant; Image-based phenotyping; Integrated weed management; Plant Breeding; Plant Weeds - growth & development; Quantitative Trait, Heritable; Rht dwarfing genes; Triticum - genetics; Triticum - growth & development
• ISSN: 0168-9452; 1873-2259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2020.110785

•Modifications of wheat early vigor promotes higher weed-competitiveness.•Image-based phenotyping offers high-throughput solution for early vigor traits selection.•We demonstrate the potential alternative dwarfing genes to improve weed-competitiveness.•G × E × M interaction have strong effect on early vigor and weed-competitiveness.•Integration of early vigor trait into wheat breeding program can support sustainable production. Chemical weed-control is the most effective practice for wheat, however, rapid evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds threat food-security and calls for integration of non-chemical practices. We hypothesis that integration of alternative GA-responsive dwarfing genes into elite wheat cultivars can promote early vigor and weed-competitiveness under Mediterranean climate. We develop near-isogenic lines of bread wheat cultivars with GAR dwarfing genes and evaluate them for early vigor and weed-competitiveness under various environmental and management conditions to identify promising NIL for weed-competitiveness and grain yield. While all seven NILs responded to external gibberellic acid application, they exhibited differences in early vigor. Greenhouse and field evaluations highlighted NIL OC1 (Rht8andRht12) as a promising line, with significant advantage in canopy early vigor over its parental. To facilitate accurate and continuous early vigor data collection, we applied non-destructive image-based phenotyping approaches which offers non-expensive and end-user friendly solution for selection. NIL OC1 was tested under different weed density level, infestation waves, and temperatures and highlight the complex genotypic × environmental × management interactions. Our findings demonstrate the potential of genetic modification of dwarfing genes as promising approach to improve weed-competitiveness, and serve as basis for future breeding efforts to support sustainable wheat production under semi-arid Mediterranean climate.