Toward a Better Understanding of Genotype × Environment × Management Interactions-A Global Wheat Initiative Agronomic...

Area of Science:

• Agronomy
• Plant Science
• Agricultural Research

Background:

• Global wheat research coordination is essential for food security and sustainability.
• Climate change necessitates advancements in wheat production systems.
• The Wheat Initiative (WI) and its Agronomy Expert Working Group (EWG) address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a global systems-agronomy framework for wheat production.
• To identify and address exploitable yield gaps in wheat.
• To foster collaboration and knowledge exchange in wheat agronomy research.

Main Methods:

• Established current wheat yield gaps and defensible benchmarks.
• Compiled a database of 782 funded wheat agronomy research projects globally.
• Analyzed research gaps and opportunities for international collaboration.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive understanding of global wheat yield gaps and research landscape.
• Identification of opportunities for Genotype × Environment × Management synergies.
• A strategic framework to guide global wheat agronomy research priorities.

Conclusions:

• The WI-EWG's approach can transform wheat cropping systems research.
• The developed framework aims to minimize research duplication and maximize global impact.
• This strategy is adaptable for application to other crop species.