Miller Magazine Issue: 143 November 2021

53 MILLER / november 2021 NEWS in breeding. Based on a combination of the latest research advanc- es and tried-and-tested breeding methods, the scientists are developing strategies to address these gaps. These include: • Using big data analysis to better understand stress profiles in target environments and design wheat lines with appropriate heat and drought adaptive traits. • Exploring wheat genetic resources for discovery of novel traits and genes and their use in breeding. • Accelerating genetic gains through selection tech- niques that combine phenomics with genomics. • Crowd-sourcing new ideas and technologies from ac- ademia and testing them in real-life breeding situations. These strategies will be thoroughly tested at the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Network (HeDWIC) Hub under realistic breeding conditions and then dis- seminated to other wheat breeding programs around the world facing similar challenges. One factor that strongly influences the success and ac- celeration of climate resilience technologies, according to Reynolds, is the gap between theoretical discovery research and crop improvement in the field. “Many great ideas on how to improve climate-resil- ience of crops pile up in the literature, but often remain ‘on the shelf’ because the research space between the- ory and practice falls between the radar of academia on the one hand, and that of plant breeders on the other,” Reynolds explained. Translational research — efforts to convert basic re- search knowledge about plants into practical applica- tions in crop improvement — represents a necessary link between the world of fundamental discovery and farm- ers’ fields and aims to bridge this gap. The impacts of this research, conducted under HeD- WIC — a project led by CIMMYT in partnership with ex- perts around the world — will be validated on a global scale through the International Wheat Improvement Net- work (IWIN), with the potential to reach at least half of the world’s wheat-growing area. The results will benefit breeders and researchers but, most importantly, farmers and consumers around the world who rely on wheat for their livelihoods and their di- ets. Wheat accounts for about 20% of all human calories and protein, making it a pillar of food security. For about 1.5 billion resource-poor people, wheat is their main daily staple food. With the world population projected to rise to almost ten billion by 2050, demand for food is predicted to in- crease with it. This is especially so for wheat, being a versatile crop both in terms of where it can grow and its many culinary and industrial uses. However, current wheat yield gains will not meet 2050 demand unless se- rious action is taken. Translational research and strategic breeding are crucial elements in ensuring that research is translated into higher and stable yields to meet these challenges. CIMMYT