Senapati Nimai, Semenov Mikhail A
Department of Plant Sciences, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom.
Glob Food Sec. 2020 Mar;24:100340. doi: 10.1016/j.gfs.2019.100340.
Improving yield potential and closing the yield gap are important to achieve global food security. Europe is the largest wheat producer, delivering about 35% of wheat globally, but European wheat's yield potential from genetic improvements is as yet unknown. We estimated wheat 'genetic yield potential', i.e. the yield of optimal or ideal genotypes in a target environment, across major wheat growing regions in Europe by designing ideotypes. These ideotypes were optimised for current climatic conditions and based on optimal physiology, constrained by available genetic variation in target traits. A 'genetic yield gap' in a location was estimated as the difference between the yield potential of the optimal ideotype compared with a current, well-adapted cultivar. A large mean genetic yield potential (11-13 t ha) and genetic yield gap (3.5-5.2 t ha) were estimated under rainfed conditions in Europe. In other words, despite intensive wheat breeding efforts, current local cultivars were found to be far from their optimum, meaning that a large genetic yield gap still exists in European wheat. Heat and drought tolerance around flowering, optimal canopy structure and phenology, improved root water uptake and reduced leaf senescence under drought were identified as key traits for improvement. Closing this unexploited genetic yield gap in Europe through crop improvements and genetic adaptations could contribute towards global food security.
提高产量潜力并缩小产量差距对于实现全球粮食安全至关重要。欧洲是最大的小麦生产国，提供全球约35%的小麦，但欧洲小麦通过基因改良所能达到的产量潜力尚不清楚。我们通过设计理想型来估算欧洲主要小麦种植区小麦的“遗传产量潜力”，即目标环境中最优或理想基因型的产量。这些理想型针对当前气候条件进行了优化，基于最优生理学，并受目标性状可用遗传变异的限制。某一地点的“遗传产量差距”被估算为最优理想型的产量潜力与当前适应性良好的品种产量之间的差异。在欧洲雨养条件下估算出较大的平均遗传产量潜力（11 - 13吨/公顷）和遗传产量差距（3.5 - 5.2吨/公顷）。换句话说，尽管进行了密集的小麦育种工作，但发现当前的当地品种远未达到最优状态，这意味着欧洲小麦仍存在较大的遗传产量差距。开花期前后的耐热性和耐旱性、最优冠层结构和物候、改善根系水分吸收以及干旱条件下延缓叶片衰老被确定为需要改良的关键性状。通过作物改良和基因适应来缩小欧洲尚未开发利用的遗传产量差距，有助于实现全球粮食安全。
