Breeding for silicon-use efficiency, protein content and drought tolerance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): a review
Date
2022-10-04
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Taylor & Francis Group - Informa UK Limited
Abstract
The production and quality of wheat are affected by abiotic constraints including water stress and
soil nutrient deficiencies. It is imperative to develop drought-tolerant wheat varieties with high
yield potential and enhanced grain protein content for food security. Silicon (Si) is important for
plant growth and development but its role in abiotic stress tolerance has been overlooked in
breeding programs. Identifying the underlying functional genes controlling drought tolerance,
protein content and grain yield is essential for wheat improvement, especially under drought
stress. Silicon uptake is conditioned by several Si transporter genes such as Lsi1, Lsi2 and Lsi6
and aquaporins, which facilitate transport of silicon and water between cells. The objectives of
this review are to examine the role of Si in improving plant nutrition and drought tolerance,
and to appraise the genetic control of Si uptake and breeding methods for improving Si uptake
for drought adaptation and improved grain yield and quality. The review highlights the limited
progress made in breeding for drought tolerance in wheat, especially in sub-Sahara Africa
where the challenge is prevalent. Limited understanding of the genetic basis for Si uptake and
physiology contribute to the limited progress in its exploitation in wheat improvement programs.
Description
The Version of Scholarly Record of this Article is published in Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 2022, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09064710.2021.1984564
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: Drought-tolerance; genomic selection; protein content; grain yield; phenotypic selection; silicon uptake; silicon-use efficiency; wheat; Africa; South Africa; Sub-Sahara; Sub-Saharan.
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Citation
Marylyn M. Christian, Hussein Shimelis, Mark D. Laing, Toi J. Tsilo & Isack Mathew (2022) Breeding for silicon-use efficiency, protein content and drought tolerance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): a review, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 72:1, 17-29, DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2021.1984564