The aleurone layer of blue-grained wheat is rich in anthocyanins, which offer numerous health benefits to humans. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin synthesis and regulation in the aleurone layer, this study compared the blue-grained wheat material E10-2B with its white-grained counterpart E10-2W using agronomic trait evaluation, molecular markers, liquid array technology, and transcriptome analysis. The results showed that compared to E10-2W, E10-2B exhibited a 15.31% reduction in plant height, indicating a dwarfing trait. However, its panicle length, 1 000-grain weight, and grain length decreased by 17.93%, 5.99%, and 4.40%, respectively. Molecular marker and liquid chip analyses revealed that E10-2B contains the complete genome of common wheat, along with the 4E chromosome from Thinopyrum ponticum. The grain color of E10-2B undergoes a transformation between 20 and 25 days post-anthesis, with 25 days post-anthesis identified as the critical time point for anthocyanin accumulation. Transcriptome sequencing analysis identified 748 and 5 246 differentially expressed genes at 20 and 25 days post-flowering, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that the differentially expressed genes at 25 days post-flowering were significantly enriched in pathways related to phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, and anthocyanin biosynthesis, suggesting activation of the anthocyanin synthesis pathway at this stage. To further identify key genes in the anthocyanin synthesis pathway, we analyzed transcriptome data from the blue-grained wheat material Blue 1 and its white-grained control White 1, available in public databases. Comparative analysis focused on the expression patterns of anthocyanin synthesis-related genes in the two blue-grained materials (E10-2B and Blue 1). A total of 77 and 21 up-regulated anthocyanin synthesis-related genes were identified in E10-2B and Blue 1, respectively, including chalcone synthase (CHS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), and MYB transcription factors. Notably, 15 genes showed shared up-regulation in both blue-grained materials, accounting for 19.48% of the up-regulated genes in E10-2B. Among these, three flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase genes (F3′5′H) and three flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase genes (UFGT) exhibited high expression levels in both materials. These co-upregulated genes likely play a pivotal role in the differential anthocyanin accumulation between blue and white wheat.

To investigate the molecular mechanism of high-temperature all-stage stripe rust resistance in Xiaoyan 6, an E3 ubiquitin ligase gene, TaPUB23, was identified based on the previous transcriptome sequencing results. This gene, which was significantly upregulated under both stripe rust infection and high-temperature conditions, has a full-length sequence of 1,272 bp, encoding 423 amino acids, and is localized in the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Virus-induced transient overexpression of TaPUB23 significantly reduced the stripe rust resistance of Xiaoyan 6 plant. Based on the yeast two hybrid (Y2H) system, we identified the interaction target TaDJA7 of TaPUB23 and demonstrated that TaPUB23 ubiquitinated TaDJA7. The interaction between TaPUB23 and TaDJA7 was further validated through luciferase complementation assays (LCA), bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC), and Pull-down assays. These findings reveal that the E3 ubiquitin ligase TaPUB23 regulates high-temperature all-stage stripe rust resistance in wheat through ubiquitination of TaDJA7.

NF-YB transcription factors play key regulatory roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, HMMER and BLAST were used to identify members of the wheat NF-YB gene family, and their physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, and gene structures were analyzed. Using wheat varieties including Lantian 134, Longzimai 1, and Chang 6878, the expression pattern of TaNF-YB-2 at the seedling stage under drought and salt stress was examined. A total of 10 TaNF-YB family members were identified in the wheat genome and sequentially named TaNF-YB-1 to TaNF-YB-10. These proteins were unstable and acidic. The TaNF-YB members in common wheat showed high similarity to their homologs in spelt wheat, indicating evolutionary conservation. TaNF-YBs genes were mainly located on homologous groups 1 and 4, with five-gene pairs showing collinearity. Cis-element analysis suggested that TaNF-YB gene family are involved in stress responses. Under drought and salt stress, the expression of TaNF-YB-2 increased in both roots and leaves. Under drought stress, the relative expression levels of TaNF-YB-2 in three drought-resistant varieties (Lantian 134, Longzimai 1, and Chang 6878) were consistently significantly higher than in two drought-sensitive varieties (Xikemai 518 and Lanhangxuan 121). Under salt stress, the relative expression levels of TaNF-YB-2 in the three salt-tolerant varieties were significantly higher than those in the salt-sensitive materials—in leaves after 4 h and in roots after 6 h of treatment.

Thousand-kernel weight is one of the key yield components in modern wheat breeding where significant progress has been made through genetic improvement. It is crucial to conduct in-depth research on the important genes controlling wheat kernel weight and their functions. In this study, molecular markers for five genes related to wheat kernel weight (TaSus2-2B, TaGW8-B1, TaCwi-A1, TaGS-D1, and TaGW2-6A) were used to test 263 new wheat varieties (lines) collected from the 2023-2024 national trials in the Huanghuai wheat region. Among these varieties (lines), all kernel weight-related genes existed in combinations. There were nine types of combinations for the five prior haplotypes, specifically: TaGW8-B1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a, TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaGW8-B1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A, TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A, and TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A. Among these combinations, the TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGW2-6A-A combination had the lowest frequency at 1.90%, while the TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A combination had the highest frequency at 31.56%. Further evaluation and analysis of kernel traits in 2023 in Zhengzhou and Zhumadian and in 2024 in Xinxiang revealed that among these nine gene combination types, the TaGW8-B1a+TaGW2-6A-A combination exhibited a relatively weak effect on increasing wheat kernel weight, whereas the combination type with five pyramided superior kernel weight-related alleles(TaSus2-2Ba+TaGW8-B1a+TaGS-D1a+TaCwi-A1a+TaGW2-6A-A) showed a relatively strong effect on improving wheat kernel weight. The results of this study indicated that increasing the number of superior kernel weight-related genes(haplotypes) could effectively enhance the kernel weight of wheat varieties in the Huanghuai wheat region.

Wheat powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, is a devastating foliar disease that significantly threatens wheat production. In this study, molecular marker and Sanger sequencing were adopted to analyse the composition or sequence variation of 17 cloned or common powdery mildew (Pm) resistance genes in 40 wheat varieties mainly from Yuncheng city. Molecular markers were used to identify the 15 Pm loci, and the results showed that five loci (Pm2, Pm6, Pm8, Pm30 and Pm52) were identified as single gene or gene pyramiding. The frequency of Pm2, Pm6, Pm8, and Pm30 in the tested varieties was 35%, 20%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. Five varieties (Yunmai 2008, Jimai 22, Zhongmai 30, GA20015, and Liangxing 99) have both Pm2 and Pm6, and combination of Pm8 and Pm30 was only detected in Yunhei 1619 and Jinzimai 33. To analyse the variation of partial resistance gene Pm46, a pair of specific primers was designed to amplify the full-length genomic sequence of Pm46 in the 40 varieties. A predicted 4 708 bp DNA fragment was obtained in 34 varieties whereas no amplicon was obtained from the remaining six colored wheat varieties. By marker analysis, the six varieties all carry 4Ag (4E) chromosome of blue-grained wheat, which is the donor of ThMYC4E. Pm46 gene was sequenced in the 34 varieties and 3 haplotypes were identified, all of which encode susceptible proteins. Additionally, allelic variation analysis of Pm5 gene in the tested materials revealed that only Linnuo 178 carries the resistant allele Pm5b, while the resistant allele Pm5e was not detected. The phenotypic identification results show that germplasm carrying the Pm6 and germplasm carrying the blue-grained wheat 4Ag chromosome exhibit good resistance to the local powdery mildew races in Yuncheng, which can be further used for future wheat genetic improvement.

To elucidate the variation sites, dwarf gene composition and dwarfing effect of a dwarf mutant Yutong 194, the wild type variety Zhoumai 18 was used as the control. Exome capture sequencing was employed to verify the authenticity of the mutation and mine variation sites. Molecular detection of dwarf gene, gibberellin (GA₃) sensitivity tests at the seedling stage, and analyses of plant height and yield-related traits were conducted. The results showed that a 99.63% genetic identity between Yutong 194 and Zhoumai 18. SNPs were predominantly enriched on chromosomes 2B (52.62%), 5A (11.49%), and 2D (6.25%). On chromosome 2B, 96.93% of the differential loci (253 loci) were concentrated within four regions, spanning a total length of 38.42 Mb. Both lines carried the Rht2, Rht9, and Rht24 genes, while Yutong 194 additionally carried the Rht8. Gibberellin sensitivity tests indicated that both lines are insensitive to exogenous GA₃, consistent with the characteristic response of Rht2+Rht24 gene combination. Under different planting conditions, the plant height of Yutong 194 was significantly lower than Zhoumai 18(9.83% reduction in hill-drop sowing, and 11.98% in plot). The dwarfing primarily resulted from shortening of the basal three internodes and the penultimate internode (12.09% -29.08%). The dwarfing did not negatively affect yield traits such as grains per spike or 1 000-grain weight. Instead, it significantly increased the tiller-to-ear ratio (15.5% increase in tillers per plant and 8.63% increase in spike number under hill-drop sowing), ultimately leading to a yield increase rate of 3.88% . This study confirms that Yutong 194 is a dwarf mutant of Zhoumai 18 and demonstrates its potential for synergistically reducing plant height and enhancing yield.

This study analyzed the changes in yield and quality of the approved weak gluten wheat varieties in China over the past two decades, along with the correlations among key agronomic and quality traits, to clarify the trend of yield and quality during variety replacement. The findings provide references for breeding high yield and high quality weak gluten wheat and innovating cultivation practices. Data on yield and quality were systematically collected from 174 released weak gluten wheat varieties across China's major wheat-producing provinces and municipalities from 2000 to 2024. Based on the winter wheat production zoning, these varieties were classified into those from the Yangtze River winter wheat area and the Southwest winter wheat area. The yield, yield components, and quality traits were evaluated. Results showed that the number of approved weak gluten wheat varieties exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, with 71 and 103 varieties approved in the Yangtze River winter wheat area and Southwest winter wheat area, respectively, averaging 3.55 and 5.15 varieties per year. Yield and quality traits demonstrated areal differences. The varieties in Yangtze River winter wheat area had a higher average yield, though it showed a declining trend over time. In contrast, the varieties in Southwest winter wheat area displayed a consistent annual increase in yield, with an average rise of 0.01 t·hm^-2 each year. In terms of quality, the Yangtze River winter wheat area experienced significant annual reductions in both protein content and wet gluten content, with average decrease rates of 0.06% and 0.20%, respectively. The Southwest winter wheat area showed annual increases of 0.05% and 0.06% in these two indicators. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between spike number, thousand-grain weight and yield in both areas. The protein content of weak gluten wheat is significantly positively correlated with the wet gluten content. In the Yangtze River winter wheat area, spike number was identified as a key determinant of high yield. Enhancing the number of grains per spike and thousand-grain weight through breeding and agronomic measures could further increase yield. In the Southwest winter wheat area, efforts should focus on increasing spike number while optimizing crop management practices to improve processing quality, thereby achieving simultaneous improvements in both yield and quality.

To provide a reference for breeding high-yield, high-quality, and green wheat varieties in the Huainan region of Jiangsu, this study conducted a systematic analysis of agronomic traits (growth period, plant height, spike number, grains per spike, thousand-kernel weight, and disease resistance) and quality traits of 116 wheat varieties approved in Jiangsu from 2010 to 2024. The pedigree information of these varieties was traced, and their genetic relationships were studied using phylogenetic and cluster analysis. The results showed that agronomic traits and quality of the approved wheat varieties in the Huainan region from 2010 to 2024 exhibited significant improvement trends. The average growth period of varieties was 207 days, a decrease of 3 to 5 days compared to early-maturity varieties; plant height remained stable at 80-88 cm, averaging 84.51 cm. Among the three yield components, spike number per hm² increased by 4.31%, thousand-kernel weight improved by 9.64%, and grains per spike remained relatively stable. Quality improvements shifted toward medium to strong gluten, with a notable increase in medium to strong gluten wheat varieties. In terms of disease resistance, varieties maintained moderate resistance to fusarium head blight, but showed enhanced resistance to powdery mildew and yellow mosaic virus disease. However, varieties resistant to sharp eyespot remained relatively scarce. Genetic relationship analysis revealed that the genetic similarity coefficients of parentage (COP) for 6 670 pairs among the 116 varieties ranged from 0 to 0.66, with an average COP of 0.32. Cluster analysis based on phylogenetic relationships divided the tested wheat varieties into four groups, with key parental varieties such as Ningmai 9, Ningmai 13, Yangmai 158, Zhenmai 9, and Zhenmai 168 forming three major core clusters, accounting for 86.21% of the approved varieties. The study indicated that while yield and quality traits of varieties in the Huainan region of Jiangsu have significantly improved, but their genetic foundation remains relatively narrow. The repeated utilization of key parental varieties like Ningmai 9, Yangmai 158, and Zhenmai 9, along with limited incorporation of new external parents, has led to insufficient genetic diversity in the developed varieties of the Huainan region in Jiangsu.

As a unique and important germplasm resource in China, the Taigu male-sterile wheat has made significant contributions to wheat breeding. To further explore its potential application, this study aimed to establish an effective seed-stage identification system for the Taigu genic male sterility trait (Ms2) using molecular biology techniques, employing DsRed (encoding red fluorescent protein) and RUBY (a pigment biosynthesis-related gene) as reporter systems. Additionally, the single-copy semi-dwarf gene Rht-D1b was introduced to develop semi-dwarf, visually identifiable male sterile wheat. Through characterization of transgenic wheat plants and their progeny, the red fluorescent protein was efficiently expressed and stably inherited in wheat embryos. Although RUBY expression was undetected, effective identification of male sterility could still be achieved through red fluorescence. Sterile seeds with red fluorescence and fertile seeds without fluorescence exhibited a 1∶1 segregation ratio. T₁ plants derived from red fluorescent seeds were all semi-dwarf and sterile, while those from non-fluorescent seeds were non-dwarf and fertile, indicating tight linkage among DsRed, Ms2, and Rht-D1b. The constructed reporter system not only enables fertility sorting at the seed stage via fluorescence but also addresses the excessive dwarfing issue in current dwarf-sterile wheat lines by incorporating the semi-dwarfing gene. This approach offers a novel tool for hybrid wheat production and recurrent selection breeding.

To clarify the correlation between the diseased spikelet rate, the relative abundance of Fusarium species, and accumulation of DON toxin in Fusarium head blight, 128 wheat ears from naturally occurring wheat fields were collected in 11 environments in 5 provinces of Jiiangsu, Hubei, Anhui, Henan and Shaanxi in 2023. We calculated the diseased spikelet rate in the samples, classified the disease severity, and used high-throughput sequencing and LC/MS technology to determine the relative abundance of Fusarium species and DON toxin content, and analyzed the their correlation. The results showed that there was a significantly positive correlation between the diseased spikelet rate and relative abundance of Fusarium species and DON toxin content (P<0.001). However, the relative abundance of fusarium species in samples with severity level 4 was significantly higher than that of level 0 and level 1; the average content of DON toxin in samples with severity level 4 was significantly higher than that of other levels (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the relative abundance of Fusarium species and average content of DON toxin among samples between severity levels 1, 2, and 3; the diseased spikelet rate is more suitable than the disease severity for evaluating the relative abundance of Fusarium species and DON toxin content in wheat spikes. The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the combined effect of diseased spikelet rate and relative abundance of Fusarium species on DON toxin accumulation was greater than that of a single factor (R²=0.364), and both factors may play important roles in the construction of DON toxin content prediction model.

Wheat is one of the most critical food crops, and the identification and functional analysis of its key genes are crucial for wheat variety improvement and molecular breeding. The MYB transcription factor family represents one of the largest groups of transcription factor families in plants, playing a pivotal role in plant growth and development, metabolism, and response to both biotic and abiotic stresses. The study of MYB transcription factors has become a research hotspot in wheat functional genomics. However, compared to model plants such as Arabidopsis and rice, research on wheat MYB transcription factors remains relatively limited. With the advancement of high-throughput sequencing technology and improvement of wheat genome data, a total of 719 MYB transcription factors have been identified in the wheat genome, with the R2R3-type MYBs being the most predominant. Previous studies have demonstrated that members of the MYB transcription factor family play significant roles throughout different stages of wheat growth and development, regulating the expression of stress-responsive genes under drought, salinity, nutrient deficiency, and pathogen or pest attacks. Most MYB genes act as positive regulators of stress resistance, while some display negative regulatory effects. These findings suggest that MYB family members contribute to complex regulatory patterns in wheat's stress adaptation mechanisms. This review summarizes recent progress in the identification, classification, and biological functions of wheat MYB transcription factors. Additionally, we suggested that it is necessary to improve the evolutionary classification of MYB family in wheat, explore the target genes regulated by MYB, and identify their function and mechanism in order to apply them in wheat molecular breeding.

To investigate the effectiveness of natural/chemical inhibitors in the drip-irrigated wheat field, six treatments were set up to study the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer applied with natural or chemical inhibitors on photosynthetic performance, biomass, nutrient uptake and yield of wheat. It were no N application (CK), N fertilizer applied alone (U), N fertilizer applied with chemical nitrification inhibitor (U+CP), N fertilizer applied with natural nitrification inhibitor (U+MHPP), N fertilizer applied with chemical nitrification and urease inhibitors (U+CP+NBPT), and N fertilizer applied with natural nitrification and urease inhibitors (U+MHPP+DATS). The results showed that SPAD value of wheat leaves, biomass of various organs, and uptake of N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) of wheat plants were increased under the inhibitor treatments compared with the U treatment, and especially in nutrient accumulation of the cob+glumes+grains. Nutrients uptake rate by cob+glumes+grains at maturity of wheat plants were significantly increased 13.17%-19.38% and 11.59%-15.68% for N uptake, 14.26%-21.95% and 9.84%-18.74% for P uptake , and 12.92%-24.61% and 9.91%-22.41% for K uptake in 2022 and 2023 years respectively. Wheat yield was increased but not significant and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) was significantly increased by 20.10%-36.14% under all inhibitor treatments as compared to the U treatment. Photosynthetic capacity, biomass, nutrient uptake, and yield under the natural inhibitor treatments (U+MHPP and U+MHPP+DATS) were slightly lower than that under the chemical inhibitor treatments (U+CP and U+CP+NBPT) with no significance. In conclusion, the addition of natural or chemical inhibitors to N fertilizer can promote the accumulation of photosynthetic products and nutrient uptake in wheat plants, and significantly improve NUE in wheat fields; the application effect natural of inhibitors was weaker than that of chemical inhibitors but the difference was not significant, and the effect of combined application of either chemical or natural inhibitors was better than that of applying an individual inhibitor.

To evaluate the feasibility of using deep learning for efficient and accurate wheat spike counting, ten major winter wheat cultivars from the Huang-Huai wheat region (Fanmai 8, Zhoumai 36, Zhongmai 895, Malan 1, Xinmai 26, Yumai 49, Jimai 22, Zhongmai 578, Zhengmai 1860, and Zhongmai 255) were selected as materials. Three planting densities (1.2 million, 2.4 million, and 3.6 million plants·hm^-2) were tested, and four deep learning algorithms (YOLO v5, YOLO v6, YOLO v8, and YOLO v10) were employed to construct real-time video-based wheat spike detection and counting models. The models were validated using field-grown Zhongmai 578 populations (3 million plants·hm^-2). The results showed that the initial loss functions and convergence rates varied among models, with all models improving in spike detection performance as iterations increased. In terms of training speed and inference efficiency, YOLO v6 and YOLO v10 were faster but exhibited lower detection accuracy compared to YOLO v5 and YOLO v8. Although YOLO v5 and YOLO v8 required longer processing time, YOLO v8 achieved the best performance in recall (90.90%), F1-score (93.00%), mean average precision (97.20%), and overall accuracy (88.00%). The correlation (r²) between YOLO v8’s spike counts and manual counts decreased with increasing planting density, yielding values of 0.92, 0.81, and 0.79 for the three densities, respectively. Field validation demonstrated that YOLO v8 outperformed other models in stability and precision across different grain-filling stages, with the highest r² (0.90) for real-time video-based spike counting. The model also showed robustness against variations in planting density, cultivar, and spike growth stage, maintaining high performance in complex field environments. These findings suggest that YOLO v8 is a reliable algorithm for wheat spike counting, suitable for yield prediction, breeding, and cultivation management applications.