Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan.
Department of Environmental Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan.
Mol Biol Rep. 2024 Mar 22;51(1):429. doi: 10.1007/s11033-024-09345-4.
Drought poses a significant challenge to wheat production globally, leading to substantial yield losses and affecting various agronomic and physiological traits. The genetic route offers potential solutions to improve water-use efficiency (WUE) in wheat and mitigate the negative impacts of drought stress. Breeding for drought tolerance involves selecting desirable plants such as efficient water usage, deep root systems, delayed senescence, and late wilting point. Biomarkers, automated and high-throughput techniques, and QTL genes are crucial in enhancing breeding strategies and developing wheat varieties with improved resilience to water scarcity. Moreover, the role of root system architecture (RSA) in water-use efficiency is vital, as roots play a key role in nutrient and water uptake. Genetic engineering techniques offer promising avenues to introduce desirable RSA traits in wheat to enhance drought tolerance. These technologies enable targeted modifications in DNA sequences, facilitating the development of drought-tolerant wheat germplasm. The article highlighted the techniques that could play a role in mitigating drought stress in wheat.
干旱对全球小麦生产构成重大挑战，导致大量减产，并影响各种农艺和生理特性。遗传途径为提高小麦水分利用效率（WUE）和减轻干旱胁迫的负面影响提供了潜在的解决方案。耐旱性的培育涉及选择理想的植物，如高效用水、深根系、延迟衰老和晚萎点。生物标志物、自动化和高通量技术以及 QTL 基因对于增强育种策略和开发对水资源短缺具有更高适应能力的小麦品种至关重要。此外，根系结构（RSA）在水分利用效率中的作用至关重要，因为根系在养分和水分吸收中起着关键作用。遗传工程技术为在小麦中引入理想的 RSA 特性以提高耐旱性提供了有前途的途径。这些技术能够对 DNA 序列进行靶向修饰，促进耐旱性小麦种质的开发。本文强调了可能在缓解小麦干旱胁迫方面发挥作用的技术。
