Investment

Heat damage which predominantly arises from heat shock or longer-term temperatures above optimum during the reproductive and grain filling stages, is one of the most regular and limiting constraints to Australian wheat production.

This project examines the mechanistic bases of heat tolerance to build capacity in:
(i) a fundamental understanding of the processes that truncate grain filling after heat events;
(ii) processes underlying heat-induced changes in day and night respiration; and
(iii) morphological and physiological traits that ameliorate heat damage.

Physiological and molecular traits will be identified that enable yield maintenance after heat events, which will inform wheat breeding and development of high throughput phenotyping. Three PhD students will be involved in this work to maintain and build capacity in this area for the future.