BREATHTHRU was initiated following the discovery that roots are able to penetrate highly compacted soil after disrupting their sensitivity to a plant hormone signal called ethylene, this was based on the discovery in rice that compacted soil restricts diffusion of ethylene from roots, triggering root growth inhibition and radial swelling (Pandey et al. Science, 2021). It was therefore hypothesised that ethylene insensitive wheat alleles should improve rooting and nutrient uptake in field conditions.
The projects main objectives are as follows:
- Developing ethylene insensitive wheat lines
- Phenotyping the impact of altering wheat ethylene response on compaction resistance
- Determining if ethylene insensitive wheat lines have improved performance and resilience to other abiotic soil stresses
- Assessing performance and yield of ethylene insensitive lines in field conditions
BREAKTHRU field trials are being conducted across the 2023 and 2024 seasons testing multiple spring wheat genotypes under a range of cultivation treatments with varying levels of soil compaction. The knowledge gained will provide vital new information about the key genes controlling root responses to compaction which will be made available to UK plant breeders allowing them to select for compaction resistant traits within breeding programmes.
