Response of Wheat Genotypes Stressed by High Temperature in Terms of Yield and Protein Composition Across Diverse Environments in Australia

Yunlong Bai, Ali Khoddami (), Valeria Messina, Zhao Zhang and Daniel K. Y. Tan
Additional contact information
Yunlong Bai: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Ali Khoddami: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Valeria Messina: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Zhao Zhang: MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Daniel K. Y. Tan: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: Global climate change poses a significant threat to wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) production due to rising temperatures. This study aimed to investigate the impact of high temperatures on wheat yield, thousand kernel weight (TKW), colour, and protein composition to inform breeding strategies for heat tolerance. Two field experiments were conducted: one at three locations in Australia (Horsham, (Vic) Narrabri, (NSW) and Merredin, (W.A.)) in 2019, involving two wheat varieties (Berkut (high-heat-tolerant) and Sokoll (medium-heat-tolerant)) sown at normal (TOS1) and late (TOS2) sowing times; and a second experiment at Narrabri in 2019 and 2020, involving three wheat varieties (Cobra (heat-sensitive), Flanker (high-heat-tolerant) and Suntop (medium-heat-tolerant)) sown at normal (TOS1) and late (TOS2) sowing times. There were reductions in yield and TKW under high temperatures ( p < 0.05), particularly in late sowing conditions. The glutenin/gliadin ratio decreased, affecting dough strength and elasticity, especially at Merredin. Heat-tolerant varieties like Flanker and Suntop maintained protein quality, with an increase in the glutenin/gliadin ratio, under high temperature. These findings highlight the necessity for breeding heat-tolerant wheat varieties that can sustain both yield and quality. Future research should focus on genetic traits for heat tolerance, advanced molecular techniques, and interdisciplinary approaches to ensure sustainable wheat production in a changing climate.

Keywords: heat stress; yield; thousand kernel weight; protein composition; glutenins/gliadins ratio (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/5/514/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/5/514/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:5:p:514-:d:1601045

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().