Yongyu Tan, Hong Cheng, Zhiying Zheng, Xuekun Zhang, Guangsheng Zhou
Volume 1 (2025), Article ID: eip1v0207a
Published: 2025-02-07 (Received: 2024-11-16; Revised: 2025-01-30; Accepted: 2025-02-05)
Citation
Tan Y, Cheng H, Zheng Z, Zhang X, Zhou G. The effects and mechanisms of individual and combined drought-resistant genes on wheat grain quality. Engineering Innovation and Practice, 2025, 1, eip1v0207a.
Abstract
Wheat is a globally important cereal crop, and its yield and quality are significantly constrained by drought stress. Drought resistance, as a complex trait regulated by multiple genes, exhibits varying effects under different environmental conditions. This study focuses on drought-resistant genes A, B, and C and their combinations, systematically evaluating their effects on wheat grain quality, particularly thousand-kernel weight, under both normal irrigation and drought stress conditions. Using KASP molecular marker technology, precise detection and genotyping of the three drought-resistant genes were conducted. The results indicate that individual drought-resistant genes have limited effects on improving grain quality, whereas gene combinations significantly enhance grain quality. Notably, the A+B and A+C combinations demonstrated stronger positive effects under drought conditions, highlighting the importance of gene interactions in improving grain quality. Based on the findings, a breeding strategy integrating multi-gene pyramiding and marker-assisted selection is proposed to enhance wheat's drought resistance and grain quality. This study not only provides a theoretical basis for drought-resistant breeding and grain quality improvement in wheat but also offers scientific support for ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agriculture in the context of global climate change.
Keywords
wheat drought resistance, grain quality improvement, multi-gene pyramiding, marker-assisted selection, climate-resilient agriculture
References
[1] Yanagi M. Climate change impacts on wheat production: Reviewing challenges and adaptation strategies. Advances in Resources Research, 2024, 4(1), 89-107.
[2] Yang X, Zhao M, Zhang X. The research on mechanisms of water stress effects on the growth, development, and yield of winter wheat in arid regions. Advances in Resources Research, 2025, 5(1), 435-455.
[3] Ma Y, Li Y. The research progress on genomic selection and breeding for drought resistance in wheat: From genetic analysis to smart breeding applications. Geographical Research Bulletin, 2024, 3, 625-646.
[4] Tao X, Wang Y, Sheng H. The research progress on wheat root system architecture and drought resistance: Morphological characteristics, genetic regulation, and application prospects. Geographical Research Bulletin, 2024, 3, 558-576.
[5] Chen G, Hao F, Sun X. Artificial intelligence-driven gene editing and crop breeding: Technological innovations and application prospects. Advances in Resources Research, 2025, 5(1), 235-254.
[6] Sun D, Du Z, Di Y. The review on crop molecular breeding analysis and intelligent breeding technology based on big data. Advances in Resources Research, 2025, 5(1), 279-301.
[7] Yu J, Zhang X, Wang Y. Application of KASP markers in wheat drought resistance breeding. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 2018, 20(2), 45-58.
[8] Li M, Liu L, Sun D. Genetic diversity of drought resistance genes in wheat cultivars. Plant Breeding and Genetics, 2020, 40(4), 234-248.
[9] Ding X, Liu Z, Zhang J. Genetic analysis of drought resistance genes in rice. Rice Research and Development, 2017, 25(6), 567-573.
[10] Zhang H, Wang Y, Liu J. Effects of drought resistance genes on wheat grain quality under drought stress. Field Crops Research, 2017, 214, 24-35.
[11] Pang Z, Cheng Y, Guo X, et al. Genome-wide association analysis of tillering-related traits in wheat under flood and drought conditions. North China Agricultural Journal, 2024, 39(6), 64-75.
[12] Li S, Li F, Zhang Z. The combination of drought tolerance genes improves wheat performance under drought stress. Plant Breeding Journal, 2019, 31(2), 78-85.
[13] Zhao Q, Yang Y, Hu Y. The role of gene interactions in improving wheat drought tolerance under different environmental conditions. Journal of Crop Science and Technology, 2021, 8(6), 199-210.
[14] Xie F, Zhou Y, Tan Q. The interaction of drought resistance genes in rice under drought conditions. Rice Science, 2020, 27(3), 166-173.
[15] Li S, Wang L, Xu H. Characterization of drought tolerance genes in wheat: Implications for breeding. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 2020, 34(2), 91-103.
[16] Wang X, Zhang J, Liu H. The effects of individual drought resistance genes on grain quality in rice. Field Crops Research, 2016, 189, 27-35.
[17] Li F, Zhang X, Liu Y. Genetic analysis of drought resistance and grain quality traits in wheat. Plant Science, 2018, 265, 58-67.
[18] Zhou Q, Tan Z, Zhang Z. Combination effects of drought tolerance genes on wheat performance under water-deficit conditions. Crop Science Journal, 2017, 52(3), 402-413.
[19] Jin D, Wei Y, Zhang K. The research on soil water utilization mechanism in drought-resistant crops based on big data. Advances in Resources Research, 2025, 5(1), 329-349.
[20] Kumar S, Gupta A. Advances in drought tolerance in wheat: A review. Journal of Plant Physiology, 2019, 243, 56-67.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode