Enhancing wheat (Triticum aestivum & Triticum turgidum ssp. Durum) yield by manipulating transcription factors

Abstract

Global wheat production is approximately 800 million metric tons a year, valued more than 200 billion dollars and accounts for approximately 20% of the world's caloric consumption annually. When breeding for improvements to wheat yield, beneficial alleles of transcription factors that govern phase changes in wheat tissues are a useful tool. This study focuses on characterizing alleles of three separate transcription factors that can help wheat breeders make selection decisions for yield improvement. Mother of Flowering Time (MFT) affects seed dormancy and susceptibility to pre-harvest sprout. Grain Number Increase (GNI) mitigates the trade-off between seed size and seed number in the wheat head. Flowering Locus T1 (FT1) affects the timing of floral development and anthesis. Phenotypic impact of alleles from these three genes is described in irrigated and dryland Montana environments with special attention paid to how climate change impacts wheat breeding efforts.