From genebank to farmers: Unlocking durum wheat diversity for climate change resilience

Abstract

Durum wheat is a cornerstone of Mediterranean agriculture and cuisine, yet its resilience and productivity face increasing challenges from climate change and shifting production environments. Stabilizing yields under those conditions requires identifying and deploying new, resilient and diverse genetic resources. This work presents two comprehensive approaches to mobilizing genetic resources under two projects called AGENT and BOLD. Within the AGENT initiative, historical phenotypic data from 43,293 wheat accessions were curated issued from a global network between 9 European and ICARDA genebanks. Precision subsets from each genebank served as training population for genomic selection, enabling the prediction of genomic breeding values (GEBVs) and supporting more informed selection by breeders. The BOLD initiative emphasized participatory assessment and targeted use of diversity. 46 elites lines derived from crosses with crop wild relatives (CWR) were evaluated in multi-environment trials in Morocco and other partner countries. Interestingly, These CWR-derived lines outperformed commercial checks across most sites, showing 11-48% yield gains alongside improved disease resistance to some rusts, rot root and Hessian fly, and several quality traits. Participatory trials with Moroccan farmers identified preferred lines for varietal release and commercialization based on agronomic performance and farmer priorities.