MOST Australian wheat varieties already have a degree of heat tolerance, however new materials developed from extensive diversity suggest the levels could be significantly improved.
Initial results from a pre-breeding program, which is being led by The Plant Breeding Institute and the University of Sydney, were presented at the Grains Research Update, Perth, recently.
The research aimed to develop heat tolerant germplasm, protocols for high-throughput screening and molecular tools to assist commercial what breeders.
Professor of Plant Breeding Richard Trethowan said they had brought in genetics from Sudan, India and all over the world.
"We have been able to access all this diversity, understand it, cross it into some backgrounds that are meaningful for Australian conditions and hand that over to the commercial companies, along with the genetic information they need to put that into new varieties," Dr Trethowan said.
"We are using a genomic selection approach, so we're using the latest and most cutting edge plant breeding technologies in our pre-breeding work.
"Using these technologies is good because it means there is a seamless handover to the breeders who are also implementing these genomic selection technologies in their work."
While most of the research had been conducted at Narrabri in New South Wales, Dr Trethowan said the genetics they're putting together were working in other parts of Australia.
"The genes that are working around the world, that we have been able to test here at Narrabri, when you put them together you get a better response," he said.
"When we've checked that in the west at Merredin or up near Geraldton, we get to see the same responses, that's been good."
Dr Trethowan said the research was longer-term and a little more upstream, but that it is also fundamental for future cross breeds.
"We have an optimal flowering window for wheat in this country, and that window is getting narrower every year because of temperature, we need to use genetics to increase that window," he said.
"We've shown some of this material will flower and will set seed under higher temperatures giving growers a lot more flexibility."
